Adeleke Wins Osun Governorship Election, Secures Second Term
Osun Decides 2026: Adeleke Defeats APC’s Oyebamiji
Governor Ademola Adeleke has been declared the winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, securing another four-year term as governor of the South-West state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke, who contested under the platform of the Accord Party, winner after the completion of the collation of results from all 30 local government areas of Osun State.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who recorded 444,815 votes. The margin between the two leading candidates was 66,252 votes.
Adeleke Wins 19 LGAs
The incumbent governor secured victory in 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji won the remaining 11 LGAs.
The result followed a closely watched election that attracted significant attention across Nigeria, particularly because Osun was one of the important electoral contests ahead of the country’s next general election cycle.
According to election data, 1,005,800 votes were cast, with 985,079 votes recorded as valid and 20,721 rejected. There were more than one million accredited voters.
A Competitive Election
The election was contested by 15 political parties, bringing months of political campaigning to a conclusion.
Apart from Adeleke and Oyebamiji, Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was among the other notable candidates. Salaam finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.
The results showed a strong two-way contest between the Accord Party and APC, with Adeleke ultimately maintaining the advantage across a majority of the state’s local government areas.
Adeleke’s Second Term
The victory gives Adeleke a second consecutive term as governor of Osun State.
Adeleke first won the governorship in 2022 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He later moved to the Accord Party and contested the 2026 election on its platform.
Following his victory, Adeleke described the result as a vote of confidence from the people of Osun and said he would focus on delivering more development for the state.
He also said his administration would work toward moving Osun beyond its traditional civil-service structure and toward a more commercially developed economy.
What the Result Means for Osun
The outcome represents a significant political victory for Adeleke and the Accord Party.
For the APC, the result means the party will have to examine its campaign strategy and performance after failing to reclaim the Osun governorship despite finishing second with more than 444,000 votes.
The election is also likely to generate wider political discussions because of its position within Nigeria’s broader electoral calendar. Political observers will be watching how the Osun result influences alliances, party strategies and voter sentiment going forward.
For now, however, the message from the ballot box is clear: Ademola Adeleke has been returned as Governor of Osun State for another term.
