The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the incumbent Governor of Osun State and candidate of the Accord Party, Ademola Adeleke, winner of the August 15, 2026 governorship election.
Adeleke secured 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 444,815 votes, giving the incumbent governor a winning margin of 66,252 votes.
The declaration was made at the state collation centre in Osogbo at about 7:24 a.m. on Sunday by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, following the completion of results collation from the state’s 30 local government areas.
Declaring the final results, Ogunwole said accredited voters totalled 1,010,684, while the total votes cast stood at 1,005,800. Valid votes were 985,079, with 20,721 votes rejected.
The Accord candidate won 19 of the 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji of the APC secured victories in 11 local governments.
The Returning Officer, after the results had been signed by agents of the participating political parties, formally returned Adeleke as governor-elect.
“That Ademola Nurudeen-Jackson Adeleke having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner of the August 15 Governorship election and returned elected,” Ogunwole declared.
The result marks another electoral victory for Adeleke, who first won the Osun governorship election in 2022 and will now serve another term in office.
The APC candidate, Oyebamiji, emerged as Adeleke’s closest challenger, while the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, finished third in the contest.
The election featured 15 candidates, with the remaining contestants sharing the votes outside the two leading parties. According to the final figures reported from the collation, the ADC candidate polled 17,180 votes, while other parties recorded significantly lower totals.
The election had been closely watched as one of the major political contests ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the APC mounting a strong challenge against the incumbent administration.
During the collation exercise, Adeleke maintained a lead as results from the 30 local government areas were announced. Earlier reports showed him leading in 12 of the first 17 local governments announced, before the final collation confirmed his victory.
The outcome also represents a significant political setback for the APC in its bid to take control of Osun State, despite the party’s strong performance in several local government areas.
With INEC’s declaration, Adeleke has been formally returned for another term as governor of Osun State.
Final Result
- Accord – Ademola Adeleke: 511,067 votes
- APC – Bola Oyebamiji: 444,815 votes
- ADC – Najeem Salaam: 17,180 votes
- Total valid votes: 985,079
- Total votes cast: 1,005,800
- Accord LGAs won: 19
- APC LGAs won: 11
The final declaration brings to a close the closely contested Osun governorship election conducted across the state’s 30 local government areas on Saturday.
