BREAKING: INEC declares Adeleke winner of Osun election after tight race with APC

• INEC has declared Accord Party candidate Ademola Adeleke the winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election. 

• Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who recorded 444,815 votes. 

• Adeleke won 19 of Osun’s 30 LGAs, while Oyebamiji secured 11, according to reports of the final collation. 

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has been re-elected for a second term after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the 2026 governorship election on Sunday.

INEC Returning Officer Prof. Joshua Ogunwole formally announced Adeleke as the winner at the collation centre in Osogbo on Sunday, August 16. 

Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.

The result gives Adeleke a 66,252-vote margin over Oyebamiji. 

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.

The victory means Adeleke, who has governed Osun since 2022, will remain in office for another four-year term. He secured victories in 19 of the state's 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.

The declaration followed the completion of INEC's collation of results at the state collation centre in Osogbo, bringing the closely contested governorship race to an official conclusion.

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INEC's announced figures put the total valid votes at 985,079, with 20,721 rejected votes and 1,005,800 total votes cast. 

Adeleke also won 19 of Osun's 30 LGAs, while Oyebamiji won 11, according to reports on the final collation.

The declaration brings the closely watched governorship contest to its official conclusion, with Adeleke retaining the Osun governorship under the Accord Party.