ADELEKE WINS 19 LGAs, OYEBAMIJI SECURES 11 AS INEC DECLARES ACCORD CANDIDATE WINNER OF OSUN GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

By Ojo Evans 

OSOGBO, OSUN STATE — August 16, 2026

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has been declared the winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election after securing the highest number of votes across the 30 Local Government Areas of the state. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made the declaration on Sunday, August 16, following the completion of the collation of results from Saturday's election.

Adeleke, who was seeking a second term in office, polled 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes, according to the final figures announced during the collation.

The results showed a closely fought contest between the two leading candidates, with Adeleke winning 19 of Osun State's 30 Local Government Areas, while Oyebamiji carried 11 LGAs. The figures supplied from the individual LGA collation centres show that Adeleke's strongest performances came in areas including Ede North, Ede South, Osogbo, Ife East, Ife Central, Iwo and other parts of the state, while Oyebamiji recorded victories in several LGAs across the state.

INEC's Returning Officer for the election, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, declared Adeleke the winner after the results from all 30 LGAs had been collated. The Returning Officer stated that Adeleke had satisfied the requirements of the law and was therefore declared elected.

The final statewide figures showed 1,010,684 accredited voters, with 1,005,800 total votes cast and 985,079 valid votes. Rejected votes were recorded at 207. Adeleke's 511,067 votes represented the largest share of the valid votes, giving him a decisive statewide lead of 66,252 votes over Oyebamiji.

The outcome represents a significant political victory for Adeleke, who first emerged as governor of Osun State in 2022. His re-election means he will continue to lead the state for another four-year term. Reports following the declaration said Adeleke expressed appreciation to God and the people of Osun State for their support, while indicating that he expected his main challenger, Oyebamiji, to congratulate him.

HOW OSUN VOTERS VOTED ACROSS THE 30 LGAs

The LGA-by-LGA results demonstrate the competitive nature of the election. Adeleke dominated several urban and politically significant areas, while Oyebamiji also recorded substantial victories in a number of LGAs.

1. Boluwaduro LGA: Adeleke — 7,118; APC — 7,050. Adeleke won narrowly by 68 votes.

2. Ede South LGA: Adeleke — 26,188; APC — 6,219; ADC — 390. Adeleke recorded a commanding victory.

3. Ife North LGA: Adeleke — 13,879; APC — 9,613; ADC — 333. Adeleke won the LGA.

4. Ilesa West LGA: Adeleke — 16,196; APC — 12,756; ADC — 673. Adeleke secured victory.

5. Ifedayo LGA: Adeleke — 7,427; APC — 6,836; ADC — 115. Adeleke won narrowly.

6. Ilesa East LGA: APC — 16,208; Adeleke — 12,280; ADC — 504. Oyebamiji won the LGA.

7. Ife Central LGA: Adeleke — 21,171; APC — 15,913; ADC — 747. Adeleke won.

8. Boripe LGA: APC — 19,963; Adeleke — 12,448; ADC — 379. Oyebamiji secured a clear victory.

9. Irepodun LGA: APC — 15,713; Adeleke — 14,504; ADC — 249. Oyebamiji won by a relatively narrow margin.

10. Obokun LGA: APC — 16,120; Adeleke — 12,023; ADC — 205. Oyebamiji won.

11. Orolu LGA: Adeleke — 12,352; APC — 10,622; ADC — 236. Adeleke secured victory.

12. Osogbo LGA: Adeleke — 36,480; APC — 30,474; ADC — 1,503. Adeleke won the state's capital LGA.

13. Oriade LGA: Adeleke — 21,343; APC — 14,863; ADC — 423. Adeleke won.

14. Odo Otin LGA: Adeleke — 18,003; APC — 15,435; ADC — 377. Adeleke secured victory.

15. Ife East LGA: Adeleke — 27,201; APC — 18,600; ADC — 935. Adeleke recorded a strong win.

16. Ifelodun LGA: Adeleke — 21,107; APC — 18,396; ADC — 509. Adeleke won.

17. Atakumosa West LGA: APC — 10,037; Adeleke — 7,479; ADC — 213. Oyebamiji won.

18. Iwo LGA: Adeleke — 27,085; APC — 19,660; ADC — 588. Adeleke won decisively.

19. Ede North LGA: Adeleke — 35,427; APC — 10,283; ADC — 307. Adeleke recorded one of his largest margins.

20. Ila LGA: Adeleke — 16,211; APC — 12,934; ADC — 259. Adeleke won.

21. Irewole LGA: APC — 29,972; Adeleke — 10,934; ADC — 275. Oyebamiji recorded a commanding victory.

22. Ayedire LGA: Adeleke — 11,073; APC — 9,910; ADC — 148. Adeleke won narrowly.

23. Atakumosa East LGA: APC — 9,936; Adeleke — 7,872; ADC — 333. Oyebamiji won.

24. Egbedore LGA: Adeleke — 19,278; APC — 11,194; ADC — 363. Adeleke won.

25. Ayedaade LGA: Adeleke — 16,681; APC — 15,719; ADC — 331. Adeleke narrowly secured the LGA.

26. Isokan LGA: APC — 14,063; Adeleke — 13,765; ADC — 384. Oyebamiji won by just 298 votes.

27. Olaoluwa LGA: APC — 10,782; Adeleke — 10,063; ADC — 213. Oyebamiji won narrowly.

28. Ife South LGA: APC — 14,678; Adeleke — 13,507; ADC — 290. Oyebamiji won.

29. Ejigbo LGA: Adeleke — 18,458; APC — 16,195; ADC — 5,053. Adeleke won.

30. Olorunda LGA: APC — 24,671; Adeleke — 23,514; ADC — 666. Oyebamiji secured a narrow victory.

A CLOSE TWO-HORSE RACE

The LGA results underline how competitive the election was, despite Adeleke's eventual statewide victory. While he won more LGAs than his APC challenger, several of the contests were decided by relatively small margins. Boluwaduro, Ifedayo, Ayedaade, Isokan, Olaoluwa and Olorunda, among others, demonstrated the tight competition between the two leading candidates.

At the other end of the spectrum, Adeleke produced particularly strong performances in Ede North and Ede South, as well as significant victories in Osogbo, Iwo, Ife East and Ife Central. Oyebamiji's strongest performances included Irewole, Boripe, Ilesa East and Olorunda, helping him secure 11 LGAs despite finishing behind statewide.

The aggregate figures also show that the election was essentially a two-party contest. Adeleke's 511,067 votes and Oyebamiji's 444,815 votes together accounted for the overwhelming majority of valid votes cast statewide, while the ADC and other parties collectively accounted for the remainder.

With INEC's declaration, Ademola Adeleke has now secured another mandate from the people of Osun State. The result brings to a close a closely contested governorship election and sets the stage for the governor's second-term administration, while the APC and other opposition parties will assess their performance across the state's 30 LGAs.

Final Statewide Result

- Ademola Adeleke — Accord: 511,067 votes

- Bola Oyebamiji — APC: 444,815 votes

- Najeem Salaam — ADC: 17,180 votes

- Total valid votes: 985,079

- Total votes cast: 1,005,800

- Accredited voters: 1,010,684

- Adeleke's winning margin: 66,252 votes

- LGAs won: Adeleke 19 — Oyebamiji 11

INEC's declaration formally confirms Adeleke as the winner of the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election and returns him as governor for a second term.