Osun Election Aftermath: Adeleke’s Victory, Political Feud and Electoral Questions
Governor Ademola Adeleke has been re-elected in the Osun State governorship election, a victory affirmed by election observers despite concerns over vote buying. His re-election has sparked a series of political discussions, including his relationship with President Tinubu and a public spat between his nephew Davido and Omoyele Sowore.
Governor Ademola Adeleke has secured a second term as Osun State governor after defeating his closest rival, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji, in the August 15 governorship election.
Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815, while African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes, with Adeleke winning 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas.
His victory drew congratulations from opposition figures and governors including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Alex Otti, while his nephew, Afrobeats star Davido, publicly celebrated the result.
Despite the decisive result, the election was marked by violence in Ejigbo, reports of vote buying and voter inducement, biometric authentication failures and delays in uploading results to the IReV portal.
Yiaga Africa said the official results observed at polling units accurately reflected the ballots counted and put voter turnout at about 43 percent, but urged INEC to address shortcomings involving election materials, downloadable PVCs, voter data and result transmission ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The aftermath also saw Adeleke reject claims of a political agreement with President Bola Tinubu for 2027, while he said he remained willing to support Tinubu and work with members of the APC, including Oyebamiji and former governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Adeleke also moved to ease tensions surrounding the EFCC’s freezing of an Osun State Government account over alleged mismanagement of N11 billion, withdrawing the state’s lawsuit after Tinubu ordered the account unfrozen over concerns about possible electoral interference. He subsequently invited Oyebamiji to work with his administration and proposed a reconciliation committee to unite political stakeholders around the state’s development.
Meanwhile, a separate political confrontation erupted between Davido and presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore after Sowore criticized Adeleke’s leadership and alleged undue influence by the governor’s family, with the exchange adding another layer to the already heated political aftermath.