Osun Election: APC Rejects Adeleke’s Victory, Says He Did Not Score Highest Valid Votes

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has refused to accept the declaration of Ademola Adeleke as winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, with the party’s campaign director-general, Oluwole Oke, insisting that the incumbent did not secure the highest number of valid votes.

Oke, who served as director-general of the APC governorship campaign committee, said the party would not rush to congratulate Adeleke following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration. He said the APC was still reviewing the results and other aspects of the electoral process before deciding on its next course of action.

INEC declared Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, the winner of the August 15 election. According to the figures announced by the electoral commission, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who recorded 444,815 votes. African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes.

The official figures gave Adeleke a margin of 66,252 votes over Oyebamiji. The incumbent also secured victories in 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while the APC candidate won in 11 local government areas.

Despite those figures and INEC’s declaration, Oke said the APC campaign organisation disagrees with the commission’s conclusion. Speaking during an interview with ARISE News, he maintained that the party believes Adeleke did not obtain the highest valid votes in the election.

“We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes,” Oke said, according to reports of the interview.

The APC campaign chief said the party was conducting a detailed review of the election before reaching a definitive position. He explained that the exercise was intended to examine the records and the entire electoral process rather than allow the party to make a hurried decision immediately after the results were announced.

Oke also indicated that the position of the APC campaign team should be distinguished from that of President Bola Tinubu. The president had congratulated Adeleke after INEC announced the result, but Oke said the campaign team, which participated directly in the election, was still examining what happened at the polling and collation stages.

Adeleke had earlier called on his major challenger to congratulate him after his declaration, describing such an action as the civilised thing to do. The APC’s decision not to immediately concede therefore sets the stage for a possible dispute over the election results.

The development is particularly significant because electoral disputes in Nigeria are ultimately determined through the legal framework governing election petitions. For now, the APC campaign team has not conceded the outcome, while INEC’s declared result remains that Adeleke won the election with 511,067 votes.

The controversy is expected to continue as the APC completes its review of the results and determines whether to pursue a formal legal challenge. Until any competent electoral tribunal or court rules otherwise, however, Adeleke remains the candidate declared winner by INEC, while the APC’s allegation that he did not secure the highest valid votes remains a claim by the party rather than an established judicial finding.