Adeleke Wins Osun Governor Race By 66,252 Votes

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has been re-elected for a second term as governor of Nigeria's Osun State, following the August 15, 2026, gubernatorial election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially declared the results on Sunday, August 16, marking a historic first win for the party in the state.

According to INEC's Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Governor Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat his main challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who received 444,815 votes. The margin of victory was 66,252 votes. The candidate from the African Democratic Congress, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes. Governor Adeleke won in 19 of the state's 30 local government areas. INEC reported that a total of 1,005,800 votes were cast, with 985,079 valid.

The victory has prompted a period of internal reflection within the opposition APC. Senior party figures have acknowledged that internal divisions and strategic missteps contributed to the loss. APC chieftain Farouk Aliyu stated that the party "defeated itself" despite deploying enormous resources, citing unresolved disagreements over the...