Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has established a significant lead over his closest challenger, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, in the 2026 Osun State governorship election, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continues the collation of results across the state.
As of the latest update, results from 3,292 of the 3,763 polling units in the state had been uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), representing approximately 87.5 per cent of the expected polling-unit results.
The figures put Adeleke in front with 439,132 votes, while Oyebamiji had polled 379,255 votes at the stage of collation covered by the report. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, remained a distant third in the emerging results.
Although the figures give Adeleke a substantial advantage, the results remain subject to the completion of the official collation process by INEC.
The election, which attracted considerable voter participation across the state, was nevertheless accompanied by allegations of vote-buying, isolated violence, voter inducement and technical difficulties involving election technology.
Adeleke Wins Own Polling Unit
Governor Adeleke recorded a convincing victory at his polling unit in Ward 02, Polling Unit 009, Abogunde Compound, Ede North Local Government Area, where he secured 421 votes.
The governor also emerged victorious at polling units associated with prominent political figures, including former Deputy Governor and Senator Iyiola Omisore in Ife East, as well as former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
Oyebamiji, however, recorded a commanding victory at the polling unit associated with former Governor Rauf Aregbesola in Ilesa.
At the unit, the APC candidate’s party secured 256 votes, compared with 43 votes for Adeleke’s Accord Party. The ADC’s Najeem Salaam received 13 votes.
The result was particularly notable because Aregbesola, now the National Secretary of the ADC, had backed Salaam in the governorship contest.
Allegations of Attempts to Disrupt Collation
As Adeleke’s lead widened, concerns emerged from his campaign organisation over the possibility of the election being declared inconclusive.
The Imole Campaign Council alleged that there were moves to create circumstances that could lead to an inconclusive declaration and potentially undermine Adeleke’s advantage.
The council’s Media Chairman, Bamidele Salam, called on INEC to remain committed to the integrity of the electoral process and urged security agencies to protect collation centres throughout the state.
The allegation remained a claim by the campaign organisation and had not been established by INEC as fact.
Observers Raise Concerns Over Vote-Buying
Election observers also documented several irregularities during the poll.
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room reported cases of voter inducement, including the alleged distribution of food and drinks to voters in Isokan Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub reported 323 electoral offences and 38 security incidents, based on information gathered from 823 observers deployed across the state’s 30 local government areas.
According to the observation report, the recorded offences included 103 incidents of vote trading, 85 cases involving exposed ballots and 31 instances of voter obstruction.
The observers also reported technical problems with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), noting that 58 BVAS devices, representing 7.9 per cent of those observed, experienced malfunctions. Forty-one of the affected devices were subsequently restored.
Alleged Vote-Buying at Polling Units
Reports from some polling locations also indicated allegations of direct voter inducement.
In Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, party agents were reportedly positioned around polling units allegedly monitoring voting patterns.
Some voters were said to have been offered between N20,000 and N30,000 in exchange for supporting particular candidates.
Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) were also deployed to some polling locations, including areas in Ejigbo, as part of efforts to monitor electoral offences.
ADC Candidate Reports Attack
The election was also marked by an alleged attack involving ADC governorship candidate Najeem Salaam.
Salaam said he escaped an attack shortly after casting his vote at Ward 4, Polling Unit 13, Ejigbo.
His party alleged that residents intervened to prevent the incident from escalating.
Journalists covering the election in Ejigbo also reported attacks on their vehicles, an incident that reportedly resulted in the temporary suspension of voting at one polling unit.
Political Tensions in Other Parts of the State
Governor Adeleke also condemned the arrest of Osun PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi, at his residence in Ilesa after voting.
The governor described the arrest as an attempt to intimidate opposition supporters.
There was also a brief confrontation at the polling unit of Osun Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi in Ile-Ife following the arrival of the APC deputy governorship candidate, Benjamin Adereti.
The situation was subsequently brought under control.
Strong Voter Participation
Despite the incidents and operational difficulties, voter participation was described as notable in several parts of the state.
Some elderly residents also turned out to exercise their franchise.
Among them were 80-year-old Chief Ramon Busari, the Oluode of Ejigbo, and 97-year-old Pa Isaac Adeniran Adesanmi of Obokun Local Government Area.
Both elderly voters reportedly encouraged younger Nigerians to participate actively in the democratic process.
INEC Continues Collation
Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters, of whom 1,906,390, representing approximately 81.5 per cent, collected their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the election.
With results from 87.5 per cent of polling units already uploaded, Adeleke maintains a substantial lead over Oyebamiji. However, the final outcome remains dependent on the completion of INEC’s collation and verification procedures.
The electoral commission is expected to continue receiving, verifying and collating outstanding results before making the official declaration.
For now, the emerging figures place the incumbent governor firmly ahead in the race, while the APC and other participating parties await the completion of the process.
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