Osun governorship election 2026: Date, candidates, parties and everything voters should know

• Osun State will hold its governorship election on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with 15 candidates contesting to lead the state for the next four years.

• Incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC and Najeem Salaam of the ADC are the major contenders in the closely watched race. 

• More than 2.3 million registered voters are expected to vote across Osun's 30 LGAs, with BVAS accreditation, security arrangements and election-day movement restrictions among the key things voters need to know.

Osun State residents will head to the polls on Saturday, August 15, 2026, to elect the governor who will lead the state for the next four years.

The election comes with a crowded field, political realignments and heightened security, with more than 2.3 million registered voters expected to participate across the state’s 30 local government areas.

Here is everything voters need to know about the Osun governorship election.

The Osun governorship election will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026.

Voting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m., although voters who are already in the queue before the closing time should still be allowed to vote.

The election is an off-cycle governorship poll and will determine who governs Osun from 2026 to 2030.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 2,339,233 registered voters are eligible to vote.

They will cast their ballots across 3,763 polling units in the state's 30 local government areas and 332 wards.

Fifteen candidates and political parties are on the ballot.

They are:

1. Ademola Adeleke — Accord Party

2. Bola Oyebamiji — All Progressives Congress (APC)

3. Najeem Salaam — African Democratic Congress (ADC)

4. Olanrewaju Farinloye — Action Alliance (AA)

5. Olajide Esan — African Action Congress (AAC)

6. Yemisi Adeagbo Opawoye — Action Democratic Party (ADP)

7. Adesina Adeyemi-Doro — All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)

8. Adewale Adebayo — Allied Peoples Movement (APM)

9. Clement Adesuyi — Action Peoples Party (APP)

10. Masilo Adeleke — Boot Party

11. Taofeek Adeleke — New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)

12. Saliu Oyelami — Peoples Redemption Party (PRP)

13. Olalekan Ogunsakin — Young Progressives Party (YPP)

14. Francis Olugbenga Ajala — Social Democratic Party (SDP)

15. Adefemi Adesuyi — Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)

The list became more complicated shortly before the election after the SDP's Francis Ajala was added to the ballot following a court order. 

There have also been withdrawals. The APGA candidate, Adesina Adeyemi-Doro, withdrew and backed the APC candidate, while the APM candidate, Adebayo Simon Adewale, also announced his withdrawal and support for Governor Adeleke. 

Their names may still appear on the ballot because of the timing of the withdrawals.

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Although there are 15 names on the ballot, the race has largely been seen as a contest involving three major candidates.

Governor Ademola Adeleke is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party. He won the 2022 election as a PDP candidate, defeating then-incumbent Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.

Adeleke is campaigning on his administration's record, particularly in infrastructure, health, agriculture and other areas of development.

Bola Oyebamiji is the APC candidate. He previously served as Osun's Commissioner for Finance and later became Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority.

He resigned from the federal position in 2025 to pursue the governorship.

Najeem Salaam, the ADC candidate, is a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly. He served as Speaker from 2011 to 2015 and returned to the Assembly in 2017.

INEC will use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to verify voters before they cast their ballots.

The commission increased the number of BVAS machines from 4,427 to 5,130, while backup devices were doubled from 664 to 1,328 to deal with possible technical problems.

Voters should go to their assigned polling units with their Permanent Voter Cards and follow the instructions of election officials.

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Security has been significantly increased ahead of the election.

More than 15,000 police personnel have been deployed across Osun, with Mobile Police Force units assigned to all 30 local government areas. The police have also deployed helicopters and drones for aerial surveillance before, during and after the election.

The police also announced a restriction of movement in and out of Osun State from midnight on Friday, August 14, as part of security measures for Saturday's governorship election.

Voters should therefore plan their movements ahead of the restriction.

Voters should verify their polling units before election day, arrive early and avoid carrying weapons or getting involved in violence.

They should also be wary of vote-buying and false information about results. INEC has warned against misinformation and urged the public to rely on verified information rather than unconfirmed results circulating on social media.

The final winner will only emerge after voting, counting and the official collation and declaration of results.

For Osun voters, Saturday's election is ultimately about choosing who they want to lead the state for the next four years.

With a crowded ballot and a closely watched contest between the major political forces, the outcome could also provide an important indication of Nigeria's political mood ahead of the 2027 general elections.