Adeleke Secures Fresh Mandate as Osun Voters Hand Accord Victory

Governor Ademola Adeleke has secured another term in office after winning the 2026 Osun State governorship election, with the Accord Party candidate defeating his closest challenger, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji.

The result was formally announced at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre in Osogbo in the early hours of Sunday after results from the state's 30 local government areas were collated.

According to the figures announced by the returning officer, Joshua Ogunwole, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji finished with 444,815 votes. African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam came a distant third with 17,180 votes.

The final figures gave Adeleke a margin of 66,252 votes over his APC challenger.

Adeleke Wins 19 Local Governments

The incumbent governor's victory was built on wins across 19 of Osun's 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won the remaining 11.

The distribution of the local government results reflected the closely watched contest between the Accord and APC candidates, with both camps maintaining strong support in different parts of the state during the collation process.

Earlier in the collation exercise, Adeleke had already established a significant advantage. Results from 15 local governments initially put him on 283,235 votes against Oyebamiji's 216,003, giving the incumbent a lead of more than 67,000 votes at that stage.

As more results were announced, the gap remained sufficient for Adeleke to retain the lead and ultimately secure the required number of votes to be declared winner.

A Closely Watched Election

The election attracted significant attention because it was one of Nigeria's major off-cycle governorship contests ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Osun's political importance also extended beyond the state itself, with the election viewed as an early indication of voter sentiment and the strength of competing political alliances in the South-West. However, the outcome should not by itself be treated as a prediction of the 2027 presidential election.

The campaign and voting period also generated controversy, including allegations of vote buying, isolated incidents and disputes over aspects of the electoral process. Those allegations remain separate from the final result and should not be treated as established facts without supporting evidence.

Adeleke Begins Another Term

With his victory, Adeleke will continue as governor of Osun State after securing a fresh four-year mandate.

His supporters celebrated the result as confirmation of the incumbent's popularity in the state, while the defeat gives the APC another major electoral result to assess ahead of the 2027 political cycle.

For Adeleke, the immediate challenge will now shift from campaigning to governing, as the new mandate places renewed attention on his administration's record and the promises made during the election campaign.

The election also marks another significant chapter in Osun's competitive political history, with the state's voters once again determining the direction of the government through the ballot.

Sources

• Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) — official election results as announced at the Osun State collation centre.

• Channels Television — report on Adeleke's declaration and final vote totals.

• Premium Times — Osun governorship election collation and results from the local government areas.

• Dataphyte — analysis of the 2026 Osun governorship election results.

• Al Jazeera — background on the significance of the Osun election ahead of Nigeria's 2027 elections.