Voters across Osun State are heading to polling units today to elect a governor for the next four years, with the contest largely centred on three major contenders: incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam.
The election is taking place amid heightened political activity across major towns including Osogbo, Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Ede and other parts of the state.
A total of 15 political parties are participating in the poll, although attention has largely focused on the three leading candidates.
Adeleke, who won the 2022 governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is seeking another term after moving to the Accord Party ahead of the 2026 election.
The governor is campaigning on his administration’s record and is urging voters to assess his performance over the past four years. His defection has, however, introduced a new political dynamic into the election and reshaped the traditional party alignments in the state.
Oyebamiji, the APC candidate, is relying on the party’s extensive political network and organisational structure as he seeks to unseat the incumbent. The APC is also hoping to capitalise on the PDP’s absence from the ballot and consolidate support across key areas of the state.
The party is expected to target strong support in areas such as Osogbo, Ile-Ife and the Ijesa axis as it pushes for victory.
Meanwhile, Salaam is presenting the ADC as an alternative to the two major camps. A former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, who served between 2011 and 2015, Salaam is seeking to broaden his support across the state.
His choice of Yemisi Agiri as running mate is also expected to feature in the party’s campaign strategy as it seeks to attract more voters, including women.
Beyond party affiliations, issues such as employment, education, healthcare and security have featured prominently in discussions among voters ahead of the election.
Youth groups, market associations and civil society organisations have organised engagements and voter education programmes to encourage participation and promote a peaceful electoral process.
Security has also been a major focus ahead of the poll. The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has held meetings with Governor Adeleke and political stakeholders and warned against actions capable of undermining the election.
Security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services and the Osun State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun, are expected to operate across the state’s 30 local government areas.
Election observers are also monitoring the process, with groups including Yiaga Africa, Transition Monitoring Group and the Centre for Democracy and Development expected to pay attention to issues such as vote-buying, voter accreditation and the transmission of results.
The deployment and performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as well as the uploading of polling unit results through the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, are among the issues expected to attract close attention.
Logistics will equally be under scrutiny, particularly the timely delivery of sensitive election materials and the functionality of accreditation equipment at polling units.
With 15 parties on the ballot, the election offers voters several choices, but the battle for the governorship has largely narrowed to Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Salaam.
The poll is expected to provide a major test of Adeleke’s incumbency and personal support against the APC’s political machinery, while the ADC will seek to break the dominance of the two leading camps.
The outcome will determine whether Adeleke secures another term or Osun voters choose a new direction under Oyebamiji, Salaam or another candidate.
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