INEC Declares Adeleke Winner of Osun Governorship Election, Defeats APC’s Oyebamiji

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party the winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, securing a second term after defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adeleke emerged victorious after polling 511,067 votes across the 30 local government areas of the state. Oyebamiji, the APC candidate, finished with 444,815 votes, giving the incumbent a winning margin of 66,252 votes.

The final results also placed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, in third position with 17,180 votes, according to the figures announced during the final collation. Adeleke’s tally was therefore substantially ahead of both his major challengers.

The election, held on Saturday, August 15, attracted intense political attention as Adeleke sought to retain the governorship against a strong APC challenge. The final outcome followed the completion of result collation from all 30 local government areas of Osun State.

According to the collated figures, Adeleke secured victory in 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. The distribution of the victories demonstrated the competitiveness of the election, even though Adeleke ultimately established a statewide advantage of more than 66,000 votes.

Some of Adeleke’s strongest performances came from areas where he secured substantial margins. In Ede North, he recorded 35,427 votes against Oyebamiji’s 10,283, while in Ede South he polled 26,188 votes compared with the APC candidate’s 6,219.

Oyebamiji also recorded notable victories in several local government areas, helping the APC candidate accumulate 444,815 votes statewide. His performance included wins in areas such as Irewole, Boripe, Ilesa East and other councils where the APC maintained significant support.

The formal declaration was made by the INEC Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, following the conclusion of the collation exercise in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. Reports identified Ogunwole as the official who announced Adeleke as the winner of the governorship contest.

The result means Adeleke will continue as governor of Osun State for another term. His victory also marks another significant electoral contest between the political forces backing the incumbent and the APC, with the final figures showing that Adeleke retained a clear statewide numerical advantage despite the APC’s victories in 11 LGAs.

With INEC’s declaration now formally settling the electoral contest, attention is expected to turn to the reactions of the candidates, political parties and other stakeholders. The result gives Adeleke another mandate to lead Osun State, while Oyebamiji and the APC will now decide whether to accept the outcome or pursue any available legal remedies under Nigeria’s electoral laws.