- Adeleke won 19 LGAs to Oyebamiji’s 11, securing another four-year mandate as attention shifts from the result to governance and election accountability.
Adeleke Wins Second Term as INEC Declares Him Osun Governorship Election Winner
Governor Ademola Adeleke has won a second term after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared him winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes, defeating Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who received 444,815 votes.
The result gave Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes after collation from all 30 local government areas of Osun State.
State Returning Officer Prof. Joshua Ogunwole declared Adeleke elected on Sunday morning at the state collation centre after completion of the statewide result process.
Adeleke won 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam placed third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke Secures Second Mandate
The declaration returns Adeleke to office for another four-year term and gives Accord control of the Osun governorship.
Adeleke first became governor in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party before later moving to Accord.
His re-election means voters have chosen continuity under his administration after a campaign marked by security incidents, allegations of vote trading and disputes over the conduct of some actors during polling.
Adeleke Wins 19 LGAs
Adeleke’s statewide victory was built on wins in 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas.
Oyebamiji carried 11 councils but could not overcome Adeleke’s aggregate advantage.
The formal declaration supersedes the earlier polling-unit counts, IReV snapshots and provisional local-government figures carried during the live election file.
Jubilation Follows Result
Celebrations were reported in Ede following the declaration, with residents taking to the streets after Adeleke was announced winner.
But the declaration does not erase accountability questions raised during polling.
Observer findings, alleged vote trading, enforcement actions and violent incidents remain separate matters requiring scrutiny even though the governorship result has been declared.
Election Result Does Not End Accountability Questions
Observer reports recorded hundreds of alleged irregularities and dozens of security incidents at monitored locations during voting.
Those findings remain observer assessments and must be distinguished from offences proved by investigators or courts.
Police enforcement activity also produced competing accounts involving arrests, persons being profiled and alleged PVC recoveries.
Those matters remain subject to investigation.
Allegations by political actors about intimidation, police conduct and vote buying must also remain allegations unless supported by evidence and formally established.
What Happens Next
Attention now turns to whether Oyebamiji and the APC accept the declared result or pursue any challenge available under electoral law.
Any challenge would proceed through the legally prescribed election-petition process. Until altered by a competent tribunal or court, INEC’s declaration remains the operative result.
For Osun residents, the immediate consequence is a renewed four-year mandate and a return from campaign politics to questions of governance and delivery.
The election result is settled at the declaration stage.
The accountability story continues.
