By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Governor Ademola Adeleke has won a second term.
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday declared Adeleke of the Accord Party winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, defeating APC’s Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji by a margin of 66,252 votes.
The announcement ended days of tension, IReV blackouts, and allegations of foul play.
—THE FINAL FIGURES—
After collation across all 30 LGAs, INEC announced:
– Accord Party – Ademola Adeleke: 511,067 votes
– APC – Bola Oyebamiji: 444,815 votes
– ADC – Najeem Salaam: 17,180 votes — distant third
Total valid votes: 985,079
Rejected ballots: 20,721
Total votes cast: 1,005,800
From 2,339,544 registered voters, 1,010,684 were accredited — a turnout of 43.2%.
—LGA BREAKDOWN: ADELEKE DOMINATES—
Adeleke carried 19 of 30 LGAs, including his strongholds of Ede, Osogbo, Ilesa, and Iwo.
Oyebamiji won 11 LGAs, but couldn’t overcome Adeleke’s margins in the populous urban centres.
The 66,252-vote gap is one of the widest in a competitive Osun governorship contest in the last decade.
The result is a massive blow to the APC.
The party had thrown everything at Osun.
National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda called it a “must-win.”
A 276-member campaign council led by Gov. Hope Uzodimma was deployed. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Minister Adegboyega Oyetola, and several governors stormed Osogbo for the mega rally.
Despite that, APC leaders were seen leaving the state late Saturday as results tilted heavily against them.
“This was a referendum on performance, not party structure,” a political analyst in Osogbo said. “Osun people voted for continuity.”
While INEC had yet to issue the Certificate of Return at press time, celebrations had already erupted in Ede, Adeleke’s hometown.
Supporters were seen dancing in the streets chanting “Imole ti de.”
Adeleke, who defected from PDP to Accord Party earlier this year, campaigned on consolidating his welfare programmes, infrastructure projects, and grassroots empowerment.
With 95.85% of results uploaded to IReV by 1:33am Sunday and collation now complete, INEC is expected to issue Adeleke his Certificate of Return in the coming days.
For the APC, the loss raises urgent questions ahead of 2027.
If a “must-win” state with full federal backing can be lost by over 66,000 votes, the party’s 2027 playbook may need a rewrite.
For Osun, the message is clear: Adeleke gets four more years.
