Osun Decides 2026: Adeleke Wins Second Term, Takes 19 LGAs with 511,067 Votes

By Emmanuel Kwada

Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke has secured a second term in office after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the Osun State governorship election held on Saturday, August 15, 2026.

Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes.

The result gave Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes, bringing an end to a fiercely contested election that attracted candidates from 15 political parties.

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.

The State Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, announced the final result at about 7:24 a.m. on Sunday at the state collation centre in Osogbo.

After aggregating results from all 30 local government areas of the state, Ogunwole declared Adeleke the winner and returned him elected for another term.

“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,” the Returning Officer announced.

Adeleke Takes 19 LGAs, APC Wins 11

The final results showed that Adeleke maintained a broad geographical spread across Osun, winning 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won in the remaining 11.

The top three candidates

Adeleke recorded victories in Ede North, Ede South, Ejigbo, Iwo, Egbedore, Ife North, Ife East, Ife Central, Oriade, Ifelodun, Orolu, Ayedaade, Ayedire, Odo Otin, Boluwaduro, Ilesa West, Ifedayo, Osogbo and Ayedire.

Oyebamiji, meanwhile, secured victories in Irewole, Isokan, Olorunda, Atakumosa East, Atakumosa West, Ilesa East, Boripe, Irepodun and Obokun, among the local government areas where the APC candidate prevailed.

The distribution of the results demonstrated the competitive nature of the election, with both major contenders recording victories across different parts of the state.

According to figures announced by INEC, Osun had 2,339,544 registered voters, while 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the election.

A total of 1,005,800 votes were cast. Of this figure, 985,079 votes were declared valid, while 20,721 ballots were rejected.

Gov Ademola Adeleke during 2026 governoship campaign in Osogbo

The votes recorded by the leading candidates were:

– Accord — Ademola Adeleke: 511,067

– APC — Bola Oyebamiji: 444,815

– ADC — Najeem Salaam: 17,180

– ZLP: 2,482

– AA: 2,308

– ADP: 2,946

– AAC: 1,458

– APGA: 1,475

– YPP: 534

– APM: 234

– APP: 114

– BP: 111

– NNPP: 118

– PRP: 83

– SDP: 155

Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress emerged as the third-place candidate with 17,180 votes.

The victory represents another significant chapter in Adeleke’s political career.

Adeleke first became governor of Osun State in 2022 after defeating the incumbent governor at the time, Gboyega Oyetola, in a closely fought election.

His decision to contest the 2026 election under the Accord platform rather than the Peoples Democratic Party added another layer of intrigue to the contest and made his re-election campaign one of the most closely watched political developments in the state.

Despite the change in platform, Adeleke succeeded in retaining substantial electoral support across the state and ultimately secured the numbers required by law to return to Government House.

Overnight Collation Ends With Jubilation

The declaration came after an overnight collation process that kept political parties, supporters, journalists and residents across the state awake as results from the 30 local government areas were submitted and aggregated.

Following the announcement, celebrations broke out in Osogbo and other parts of the state, with Adeleke’s supporters taking to the streets in jubilation.

The atmosphere reflected the significance of the result for the incumbent and his political camp, who now face the task of consolidating the mandate delivered through the ballot box.

For the APC and other opposition parties, however, the outcome represents a setback after a competitive campaign that saw Oyebamiji secure victories in 11 local government areas.

Gov Ademola Adeleke

The Osun governorship election was one of Nigeria’s major off-cycle elections and attracted considerable national attention because of the state’s political importance and the strength of the contest.

With the final results now declared, attention is expected to shift towards post-election assessments, reactions from the participating political parties and any possible legal challenges.

For Adeleke, however, the immediate political message is clear: the Osun electorate has handed him another four-year mandate.

The governor will now begin preparations for his second term with the responsibility of translating the electoral victory into renewed governance and development across the state.

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