Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has won the Osun State 2026 governorship election held on Saturday, August 16, paving the way for his return for a second term in office.
Pinnacle Daily reports that although the election featured 14 candidates, it was a keenly contested race between Adeleke and other major party candidates, including Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Adeleke’s victory was confirmed in an announcement made by Joshua Ogunwole, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Returning Officer for the Osun governorship election, in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, at the INEC Collation Centre Osogbo.
According to Ogunwole, Governor Adeleke scored 511,067 votes to emerge as the winner of the election.
His closest rival, Oyebamiji of the APC, polled a total of 444,815 votes, while Najeem Salaam of the ADC came a distant third with 17,180 votes.
“Adeleke Ademola Jackson of the Accord Party, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is hereby returned elected,” Ogunwole stated.
The return officer stated that a total of 1,005,800 votes were cast in the election, which was held across the 30 local government areas of Osun State, while 985,079 valid votes were recorded. He further clarified that 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the poll.
READ ALSO:
- Osun Election: Oyetola Votes, Commends Voter Turnout
- Osun Poll: Allow Voters to Choose Without Fear, Obi Tells, Security Agencies, Stakeholders
- Osun Guber Poll: INEC Uploads 87% of Osun Election Results as Collation Continues Across 471 Polling Unit
- Davido Calls for Peace Ahead of Osun Governorship Election
- ‘Elections Are Not Military Operations’: Atiku Decries Security Overreach Ahead of Osun Election
Adeleke assumed office for his first tenure on 27 November 2022, after defeating the then incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Prior to that, Adeleke had served as Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District at the National Assembly from 2017 to 2019. He contested the Osun West 2017 by-election after the death of his brother, Isiaka Adelek, under the PDP.
He first ran for the office of governor under the PDP in September 2018 against top contenders Oyetola of the APC and Iyiola Omisore of the SDP. The election was declared inconclusive by INEC and after a rerun, Oyetola of the APC was declared winner. Adeleke protested the result at the time but later yielded after the Supreme Court declared Oyetola as the authentic winner of the governorship election.
Analysts say winning the 2026 governorship is a significant one for Adeleke, who moved from PDP to the Accord Party to contest the election following the protracted crisis in the party that had been in the opposition since APC took over power in 2015.
Victor Ezeja is a Nigerian journalist skilled in producing insightful news analyses, feature stories, and interviews that simplify complex issues and drive informed public discourse. His work combines rigorous research, balanced reporting, and compelling storytelling to highlight developments shaping industries and society. Victor, who holds a Master's Degree in Mass Communication, specializes in energy, aviation, business, and economic reporting. He can be reached via @VICTOREZEJA on X