Osogbo, August 16, 2026 — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared incumbent Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke of the Accord Party the winner of the Osun State governorship election held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, returning him for a second term.
Returning Officer Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, announced the results at the INEC collation centre in Osogbo in the early hours of Sunday after overnight collation from all 30 local government areas.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, defeating his closest rival, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. The margin of victory was 66,252 votes. African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Ogunwole stated that Adeleke, “having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is hereby returned elected.”
Official figures released by INEC indicated approximately 2,339,544 registered voters, with about 1,010,684 accredited. Total votes cast stood at roughly 1,005,800, of which around 985,000 were valid, with turnout in the region of 44 percent.
Adeleke secured victory in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won in 11. Strongholds for the governor included key areas such as Ede North, Ede South, Osogbo, Ife East, Egbedore, Oriade, Odo-Otin, Ila, Iwo, Ejigbo and others. The APC candidate performed well in places including Irewole, Isokan, Olorunda, Atakunmosa East and West, Ilesa East, Boripe, Obokun and related councils.
The contest was widely described as keenly fought. Adeleke, who first won the governorship in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), later defected to the Accord Party amid internal PDP crises and secured the party’s ticket. Fifteen political parties fielded candidates, though the race largely centred on Adeleke and Oyebamiji.
Supporters of the governor erupted in jubilation in Osogbo and other parts of the state upon the announcement, with celebrations spilling into the streets. The election was monitored via INEC’s IReV portal, which showed progressive uploads of polling unit results overnight, consistently placing Adeleke ahead as collation advanced.
This outcome secures Adeleke another four-year term as governor of Osun State. Formal processes for the handover of the certificate of return and related post-election procedures will follow in line with electoral guidelines.
Sources: INEC official declaration and contemporaneous reports from major Nigerian news outlets including Punch, Channels Television, Nairametrics, Leadership, Daily Trust and others.
The story reflects the official results as declared and widely reported on the morning of August 16, 2026.
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