Jubilation erupted across Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Sunday after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Ademola Adeleke the winner of Saturday’s governorship election. Supporters and residents poured into the streets in large numbers immediately after the final results were announced, celebrating with music, motorcades, and dancing at the INEC office where many had gathered since the early hours of the morning.
INEC’s Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, announced the final tally at the state collation centre in the early hours of Sunday. Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 444,815 votes. The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes. The total valid votes cast stood at 985,079, with 20,721 rejected ballots, bringing the total votes cast to 1,005,800.
The governor won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji claimed victory in the remaining 11. Key strongholds for Adeleke included Osogbo LGA, where he garnered 36,480 votes against the APC’s 30,474, and Ede North, his home area, where he recorded a commanding 35,427 votes to the APC’s 10,283. He also posted wide margins in Ede South (26,188 to 6,219) and Ife East (27,201 to 18,600). The APC’s strongest performances came in Irewole, where Oyebamiji polled 29,972 votes to Adeleke’s 10,934, and Boripe (19,963 to 12,448). The contests were closely fought in several areas, including Olaoluwa, where the margin was just 719 votes, and Isokan, decided by 298 votes.
Accreditation figures reflected significant voter turnout across the state, with total accredited voters exceeding 900,000. The election was conducted across 3,763 polling units, and the collation process concluded without major incident. The victory secures a second term for Adeleke, who first assumed office in 2022. His re-election consolidates the PDP’s hold on the state and sets the stage for the continuation of his administration’s policies. INEC has urged all parties to accept the outcome in good faith or seek redress through the appropriate legal channels.
