Who Won the Osun State Governorship Election 2026?
Governor Ademola Adeleke has been declared winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, securing a second term after defeating APC's Bola Oyebamiji in a closely watched contest. INEC's Returning Officer announced the result early Sunday morning, August 16, following a collation process that ran through the night.
Osun State Election Results 2026
- - Winner: Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, Accord Party — 511,067 votes (50.8%)
- - Runner-up: Bola Oyebamiji, APC — 444,815 votes (44.2%)
- - Third place: Najeem Salaam, African Democratic Congress (ADC) — 17,180 votes
- - Remaining 12 candidates: Shared roughly 5% of the vote combined
- - Election date: Saturday, August 15, 2026
- - Result declared: Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the INEC Collation Centre, Osogbo
- - Returning Officer: Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwale
- - Total valid votes: 985,097 (out of 1,005,800 total ballots cast)
- - Rejected votes: 20,721 (about 2.06%)
- - Registered voters: 2,339,544 — the highest ever recorded for an Osun governorship election
- - PVC collection rate: 81.50%
- - LGAs won by Adeleke: 19 of 30
- - LGAs won by Oyebamiji: 11 of 30
- - Candidates on the ballot: 15
- - This is Adeleke's: Second consecutive term, having first won in 2022
The Final Results, In Full
INEC's Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwale, announced the results at the INEC Collation Centre in Osogbo, with collation running from around 2:00 AM and concluding roughly six hours later, at approximately 8:00 AM on Sunday.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ademola Adeleke | Accord Party | 511,067 | 50.8% |
| Bola Oyebamiji | APC | 444,815 | 44.2% |
| Najeem Salaam | ADC | 17,180 | ~1.7% |
| 12 other candidates | Various | ~5% combined | ~5% |
Announcing the declaration, Prof. Ogunwale stated: "I, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwale, hereby declare the candidate of Accord, Ademola Jackson Adeleke, the winner of the election, having satisfied the requirements" — specifically citing that Adeleke scored the highest number of votes and secured the constitutionally required two-thirds majority across two-thirds of the state's 30 local government areas.
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| Ademola Adeleke won the Osun State governorship election with 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji. |
How the Vote Broke Down Geographically
Adeleke's win was built on a genuine geographic majority rather than a narrow technical margin: he carried 19 of Osun's 30 Local Government Areas, while Oyebamiji's APC took the remaining 11. This LGA-level spread was directly relevant to the declaration itself, since Nigerian governorship elections require a winning candidate to secure at least 25% of the vote in two-thirds of the state's LGAs, in addition to the highest overall vote count.
A Notable Detail: Adeleke's Party Switch
One detail worth understanding for anyone tracking the broader political context: Adeleke contested this election under the Accord Party banner, not the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he ran under when he first won the Osun governorship in 2022. Neither the PDP nor the Labour Party (LP) appeared on INEC's final candidate list for this election, according to earlier reporting on the race — a shift that reflects broader realignment within Nigeria's opposition political landscape heading toward the 2027 general elections.
Election Administration: What Went Reasonably Well, and What Didn't
The Transparency Process
INEC used its IReV (INEC Results Viewing) portal to allow real-time, polling-unit-level result viewing throughout the collation process, a continuation of the transparency measures the commission has used in previous election cycles. As of early Sunday morning, INEC had uploaded results from 3,695 of an expected 3,763 polling units — roughly 98.19% — with the final uploads completing alongside the formal declaration.
Reported Issues
Election observers cited by Dataphyte reported that BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) machines malfunctioned at several polling units, causing delays in accreditation and voting in those areas. The scale and specific locations of these malfunctions weren't fully detailed in available reporting, so readers seeking a comprehensive account of affected polling units should consult INEC's own post-election report or accredited observer group statements once published.
Why This Election Drew National Attention
This governorship race carried weight well beyond Osun State's borders for a few specific reasons:
- - The EFCC account freeze controversy. Just days before the election, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission froze an Osun State Government account, a move Governor Adeleke's camp called politically motivated and which prompted President Tinubu to publicly acknowledge the timing risked undermining confidence in the election, even while affirming the EFCC's statutory authority to act.
- - A test case ahead of 2027. Multiple reports noted that Nigerians on social media were quick to link the Osun outcome to the broader 2027 general election landscape, viewing it as an early signal of political momentum heading into the next national cycle.
- - Record voter registration. At 2,339,544 registered voters, this was the highest number ever recorded for an Osun governorship election, reflecting sustained political engagement in the state.
What Happens Next
Under Nigerian electoral law, a defeated candidate has a defined window to challenge a governorship result at the Election Petition Tribunal if they believe the process was flawed. As of this report, no formal legal challenge from the APC or Bola Oyebamiji had been confirmed — readers should check INEC's official channels and established Nigerian news outlets for any update on a potential tribunal petition, since this is the standard next step available to a runner-up in a closely contested Nigerian governorship race.
Ademola Adeleke has secured a second term as Osun State governor, this time under the Accord Party banner, defeating APC's Bola Oyebamiji by a margin of roughly 66,000 votes (50.8% to 44.2%) in an election that drew national attention partly due to a controversial pre-election account freeze by the EFCC. With Adeleke carrying 19 of the state's 30 LGAs and INEC completing a transparent, IReV-monitored collation process, attention now shifts to whether the result will be formally contested at the Election Petition Tribunal.
FAQ
Who won the Osun State governorship election 2026?
Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won, securing 511,067 votes (50.8%) against APC's Bola Oyebamiji, who received 444,815 votes (44.2%).
When was the Osun State election held and when were results announced?
The election took place on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with INEC declaring the final result early the next morning, Sunday, August 16, 2026.
How many local governments did each candidate win?
Adeleke won 19 of Osun's 30 Local Government Areas, while Oyebamiji won the remaining 11.
Which party did Adeleke run under this time?
Accord Party — a shift from the PDP platform he used when he first won the Osun governorship in 2022.
Was there any controversy connected to this election?
Yes. Days before the vote, the EFCC froze an Osun State Government account, a move Adeleke's camp described as politically motivated, which President Tinubu acknowledged risked creating the impression that federal institutions were influencing the election.
Has the result been legally challenged?
As of this report, no formal tribunal challenge had been confirmed. Defeated candidates in Nigeria have a defined window to petition the Election Petition Tribunal if they dispute a result.
- Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
- INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV)
