Ademola Adeleke has been declared winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, securing 511,067 votes to defeat APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. Photo Credit: osunstate.gov.ng
Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke of the Accord Party has been declared winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, securing a second four-year term after a tightly contested race that kept the state glued to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal from Saturday night into Sunday morning.
A former senator and seasoned politician, Adeleke first won the Osun governorship in 2022 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He defected to the Accord Party in December 2025, citing its welfare-driven philosophy as aligned with his administration’s focus on citizens’ and workers’ wellbeing. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) formally announced his victory at the collation centre in Osogbo on Sunday, 16 August 2026.
Adeleke won by topping the vote count across 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, according to INEC’s collated results. His closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), carried 11 LGAs. The State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, declared the result at about 7:24 am on Sunday. By 8:02 am, INEC had uploaded 3,695 of 3,763 polling unit results to the IReV portal — 98.19 per cent of the total.
According to reports from the collation centre, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to emerge winner. Bola Oyebamiji (APC) came second with 444,815 votes, while Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was a distant third with 17,180 votes. INEC data showed 1,010,684 accredited voters, with 1,005,800 votes cast and 985,079 valid votes recorded across the 30 LGAs.
Ademola Adeleke has secured a second term as Osun State governor after winning the 2026 governorship election with 511,067 votes, ahead of Bola Oyebamiji of the APC with 444,815 votes. Photo Credit: osunstate.gov.ng
Adeleke contested and won on the platform of the Accord Party, marking a switch from the PDP, under which he won his first term in 2022. Explaining his defection, he said: “We opted for the Accord Party because its mission of welfarism aligns with our passionate focus on citizens’ and workers’ welfare. Since I joined, I have been fascinated by the philosophy of this great party. The primary essence of a government is the welfare and well-being of the people.”
This is Ademola Adeleke’s second term as Governor of Osun State. He served his first term from 2022 to 2026 and has now been returned for another four-year term (2026–2030). Adeleke’s deputy governorship candidate was Kola Adenusi.
The race was largely a three-way contest, with 15 parties participating overall. Adeleke’s main opponents were Bola Oyebamiji (APC), former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and Najeem Salaam (ADC), former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly (2011–2015).
Ademola Adeleke is also widely known as the uncle of Afrobeats superstar Davido, whose real name is David Adeleke. The governor-elect is the brother of Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, Davido’s father. Davido has been highly visible throughout the campaign, even serving as head of youth mobilisation for his uncle’s re-election bid.
Governor Ademola Adeleke pictured alongside his nephew, Davido. Photo Credit: Davido/X
Shortly after INEC declared Adeleke winner, Davido took to X (formerly Twitter) with an emotional post and video celebrating the result. His caption read: “WE DID IT UNC !!! @aadeleke_01”.
According to reports, the declaration triggered widespread jubilation across the state, particularly in Osogbo and Ede, Adeleke’s hometown. Supporters poured into the streets, singing, dancing, and chanting in celebration as news of the win spread. Adeleke is set to be sworn in for his second term, marking the beginning of a new four-year administration under the Accord Party.
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Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has been declared winner of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, securing a second four-year term with 511,067 votes. He defeated APC’s Bola Oyebamiji (444,815 votes) across 19 of 30 LGAs.
The post Ademola Adeleke Defeats APC’s Bola Oyebamiji to Win Second Term in Osun appeared first on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!. Read More
