Osun Decides 2026: Race Heats Up as Key Results Emerge, Controversy Brews

The Osun State governorship election, held on Saturday, saw a keenly contested poll with 15 political parties participating, though the race primarily narrowed down to a two-horse contest between incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party and Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The state had 2,399,233 registered voters, with 1,906,390 having collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) making them eligible to vote across 3,763 polling units, 332 wards, and 30 local government areas.

Voting commenced around 8:30 a.m. in most polling units. While voter turnout varied, with some LGAs reporting impressive figures and others low, reports of vote trading at polling units were widespread. Ballot counting concluded in many polling units, paving the way for collation of results at ward levels, then registration areas, and subsequently at each of the 30 local government levels. The final collation is set to occur at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Osogbo.

In the midst of the electoral process, Governor Ademola Adeleke raised multiple alarms, appealing directly to President Bola Tinubu to instruct security agencies to prevent disruptions during result collation. Mr. Adeleke expressed deep concern over alleged attempts by “desperate and rejected” politicians to cause chaos and urged the President to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. He specifically called on the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to remain neutral and support INEC in ensuring a credible and transparent outcome. Earlier, during voting hours, Adeleke accused security agencies of bias, intimidation, and attempting to manipulate the poll in favor of the APC, alleging instances of tear-gassing voters in some areas.

Observations from the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) generally described the election as mostly peaceful, despite reports of vote-buying, technical difficulties, and isolated incidents of violence. CDD-EAC, which monitored the election across the state, noted successful INEC deployment, with 89.1% of observed polling units having officials arrive before 8:30 a.m. However, operational issues with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including slow processing and difficulties with biometric verification, were reported in several LGAs. The center also highlighted concerns about vote-buying, with observers noting solicitation of votes and media reports alleging involvement of APC and Accord agents. Incidents of violence were reported in Ejigbo and Modakeke, including disruption of voting and allegations of voters being tear-gassed, which the CDD-EAC urged security agencies to investigate neutrally.

Preliminary results uploaded by INEC on its Result Viewing platform (IReV) indicated Governor Ademola Adeleke in the lead. As of 8:48 p.m. on election day, 3,292 out of 3,763 expected results (87.48%) were uploaded. Figures reviewed on the Dataphyte election dashboard showed Adeleke with 451,744 votes (52.54%) against Bola Oyebamiji's 382,689 votes (44.51%), giving Adeleke a lead of 69,055 votes. Other candidates, such as Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Adeagbo Opawoye of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), trailed significantly. The dashboard recorded 876,827 total votes cast, comprising 859,796 valid votes and 17,031 rejected votes.

Specific local government results reinforced the close contest. The Accord Party secured a victory in Ife Central Local Government Area, polling 21,171 votes against APC's 15,913, a margin of 5,258 votes. Conversely, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won its campaign director-general Oluwole Oke’s polling unit (PU 018, Ward 7, Obokun LGA), where Bola Oyebamiji garnered 336 votes compared to Ademola Adeleke’s 45 votes. Two candidates, Adesina Adeyemi-Doro of APGA and Simon Adewale of APM, had withdrawn from the race days prior, declaring support for either APC or Accord, though their parties remained on the ballot.