Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has secured re-election for a second four-year term, defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Saturday’s governorship election.
Adeleke, who was first elected governor in 2022, emerged victorious on the platform of the Accord Party, having defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in December.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, announced the final results at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Collation Centre in Osogbo in the early hours of Sunday.
According to Ogunwole, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes. The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, came a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Declaring the result, Ogunwole said Adeleke had satisfied the requirements of the law and was therefore declared the winner and returned elected.
A total of 1,005,800 votes were cast across the 30 local government areas of the state, with 985,079 votes declared valid. The Returning Officer also said 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the election.
The victory marks a significant political achievement for Adeleke, who successfully sought re-election under a different political platform after leaving the PDP, the party on which he won his first term.
Explaining his decision to join the Accord Party, Adeleke had said its philosophy of welfarism was consistent with his administration’s emphasis on the welfare and well-being of citizens and workers.
The election brought to an end months of intense political campaigns involving 15 political parties, amid heightened political tension and security concerns across the state.
The ruling party and the APC had traded accusations over incidents of violence and destruction of property in the build-up to the poll, prompting heightened security measures.
The police deployed 15,000 personnel and 30 commissioners of police across the state, while a police helicopter and drone unit were also deployed for aerial surveillance.
President Bola Tinubu had, ahead of the election, directed the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and other security chiefs to ensure adequate security at polling units and prevent any disruption of the electoral process.
The President also charged INEC to conduct a transparent, free and fair election and safeguard the integrity of the exercise.
The election was further surrounded by controversy after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) froze an account belonging to the Osun State Government days before the poll. President Tinubu subsequently directed the agency to unfreeze the account, describing the timing of the action as embarrassing.
Another late development came when a court ordered INEC to include the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the election, forcing the electoral commission to make last-minute adjustments to its preparations.
INEC National Commissioner supervising Osun State, Kunle Ajayi, said the commission worked round the clock to print and distribute the additional ballot papers and other sensitive materials following the court order.
With Adeleke’s victory now officially declared, celebrations erupted across Osun State, particularly in Osogbo, the state capital, and Ede, the governor’s hometown.
Supporters trooped into the streets singing, dancing and chanting in celebration as the results confirmed Adeleke’s return to the Bola Ige House for another four-year tenure.
