JUST-IN: Governor Ademola Adeleke Wins Osun Governorship Election with 511,067 Votes, Secures Second Term
Ayo Marvel 
The candidate of the Accord Party and incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, has been declared the winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election after securing 511,067 votes.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Adeleke won 50.8 per cent of the 1,005,800 votes cast across the state’s 3,763 polling units. The remaining 14 candidates shared 49.2 per cent of the votes, with All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji taking the largest share at 44.2 per cent while the remaining 13 candidates cumulatively shared 5 per cent.
INEC data also show that 20,721 ballots were rejected, representing about 2.06 per cent of the total votes cast.
Before the election, INEC reported that Osun State had 2,339,233 registered voters, the highest number recorded in the state’s governorship election history. Of these, 81.50 per cent collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), making them eligible to vote.
Despite the record voter registration, turnout remained relatively low. The 1,005,800 total votes cast represent about 43 per cent, indicating that fewer than 4 in every 10 eligible voters participated in the election.
However, as of this report, INEC had not completed uploading all polling unit results to its Results Viewing Portal (IReV). Data from the portal showed that results from 3,664 polling units had been uploaded, leaving 99 polling unit results yet to be published.
The election, held on August 15, 2026, was conducted across the state’s 30 local government areas (LGAs) and 332 wards, with 15 candidates contesting the governorship seat. Adeleke emerged as the winner, while Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 444,815 votes. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) placed third with 17,180 votes.
Although many voters, including one of the candidates, described the process as peaceful and orderly, other candidates and voters reported incidents of vote-buying, voter inducement, intimidation and harassment of accredited observers.
Some observers also told Dataphyte that BVAS machines malfunctioned at several polling units, leading to delays in accreditation and voting. Dataphyte also confirmed that a member of the Accord Party was in possession of multiple PVCs.
Meanwhile, it is the first time the Accord Party has clinched the governorship seat in the state since the party was created in 2006.
About the Author
Emmanuel Femi Adedayo 
Ademola Busayo 
