The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party winner of the August 15, 2026, governorship election, after he polled 511,067 votes to defeat APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.
Adeleke Wins With 66,252-Vote Margin
INEC Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, announced the result at the commission’s state collation centre in Osogbo on Sunday.
African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won in 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11 local governments.
The result gave Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes over his closest challenger.
INEC Confirms Constitutional Requirements
According to the figures announced by the returning officer, Osun State had 2,339,544 registered voters, while 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the election.
The commission recorded 1,005,800 total votes cast, comprising 985,097 valid votes and 20,721 rejected ballots.
Ogunwole said Adeleke secured the highest number of votes and satisfied the constitutional requirement on geographical spread across the local government areas.
He subsequently declared Adeleke duly elected and returned him as governor of Osun State for another term.
Adeleke Supporters Celebrate
The declaration brought jubilation among supporters of the incumbent governor in Osogbo and other parts of the state, following a closely watched election that featured 15 political parties.
The contest had largely centred on Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Salaam, with the campaign dominated by debates over governance, development and the political direction of the state.
The election also attracted significant national attention ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly because of the rivalry between the Accord Party and APC in the South-West.
With the official declaration now concluded, Ademola Adeleke will continue as Governor of Osun State for another term.
