The dust is settling after the keenly contested 15 August 2026 Osun governorship election, with Governor Ademola Adeleke securing another four years in office and several political calculations across the state being reshaped by the result.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Adeleke of the Accord Party the winner after he polled 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.
Adeleke therefore won by 66,252 votes.
Beyond the numbers, the election produced a series of winners and losers, from the governor and his political allies to opposition figures whose influence was put to the test.
Several prominent Nigerians have also congratulated Adeleke, including President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Rabiu Kwankwaso. Some members of Oyebamiji’s own political camp have also publicly acknowledged the result.
WINNERS
Ademola Adeleke
The biggest beneficiary of the election is, naturally, the incumbent governor.
Adeleke secured a second term despite facing a strong APC challenge and the backing of prominent national and state figures for his main opponent.
His 511,067 votes gave him a margin of more than 66,000 votes and confirmed his continued hold on Osun’s political structure.
The result also gives Adeleke four more years to pursue his agenda on infrastructure, education, workers’ welfare, agriculture and other areas highlighted during his campaign.
Accord Party
Accord recorded arguably its biggest political breakthrough in Osun with Adeleke’s victory.
The party not only retained the governorship but did so after the governor left the PDP and moved into a new political platform.
Adeleke’s victory has consequently given Accord a stronger foothold in Osun politics and increased its national visibility ahead of the 2027 elections.
Adeleke’s political structure
The governor’s campaign team, party leaders, lawmakers and grassroots organisers who worked to keep him in office also emerged stronger.
Adeleke had received support from former APC figures and other political actors before the election, including supporters of former APC National Secretary Iyiola Omisore.
The ability of the governor’s political machinery to withstand the APC challenge and retain power across a fiercely contested state is a significant political win.
Davido
Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, was one of the most visible celebrity figures in the campaign.
The governor’s nephew actively supported the re-election bid, using his considerable youth following and social media presence to mobilise support.
Following the result, Davido celebrated with the message: “We did it, Uncle.”
His involvement further demonstrated the growing influence of entertainment personalities in Nigerian electoral politics.
Osun voters
The electorate ultimately decided the contest.
After weeks of campaigning, political arguments and controversy, voters across the state’s 30 local government areas determined who would occupy the Government House in Osogbo for the next four years.
Adeleke’s victory also showed that the APC’s national control did not automatically translate into victory at the state level.
Traditional rulers who backed Adeleke
The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Laaroye, was among the traditional figures who openly supported Adeleke.
He pointed to projects in Osogbo, including the Lameco flyover, as part of his reasons for backing the governor.
The Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, also remained supportive of Adeleke, who hails from Ede.
The backing from influential traditional institutions added another layer to Adeleke’s grassroots campaign.
President Bola Tinubu
Although Tinubu’s APC contested the election against Adeleke, the President congratulated the governor after the result.
According to Accord chieftain Pelumi Olajengbesi, Tinubu personally called Adeleke to congratulate him and commended the peaceful conduct of the poll.
That gesture places Tinubu among the political figures who have publicly acknowledged Adeleke’s victory.
Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also congratulated Adeleke.
Atiku said the result represented the choice of Osun voters and commended residents for participating peacefully in the election.
Peter Obi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate and 2027 NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi congratulated Adeleke and the people of Osun.
Obi particularly praised Osun youths, saying they had peacefully defended their democratic mandate.
He described the election as an experience that could offer lessons for the 2027 general election.
Bukola Saraki
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki also joined those congratulating Adeleke.
Saraki described the re-election as a vote of confidence in the governor’s administration.
Rabiu Kwankwaso
Former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso also congratulated Adeleke following the announcement of the result.
His reaction adds another prominent national political figure to the growing list of leaders acknowledging the Osun outcome.
Accord chieftains and supporters
Accord officials were quick to celebrate the result.
Campaign council spokesman Pelumi Olajengbesi described the victory as a reflection of the will of Osun voters and congratulated Adeleke on behalf of the campaign council.
Former Labour Party House of Representatives candidate Olamide Awosunle had also mobilised more than 1,000 members of the Village People Movement behind Adeleke before the election.
Some Oyebamiji supporters
Interestingly, the victory has also produced gracious reactions from within the camp that opposed Adeleke.
David Olufunsho Fagboungbe, described as a loyalist of Oyebamiji and a key figure in his campaign, congratulated the winners and acknowledged the result as part of the democratic process.
Other APC members have also reportedly congratulated Adeleke.
Samuel Oyedotun
Former Osun East senatorial aspirant Samuel Oyedotun described Adeleke’s victory as “divine” and an act of God.
He joined the growing number of political figures celebrating the governor’s return to office.
Oriyomi Hamzat
Oriyomi Hamzat, Accord’s 2027 governorship candidate in neighbouring Oyo State, also congratulated Adeleke.
Hamzat described the renewed mandate as a vote of confidence in the governor’s leadership.
LOSERS
Bola Oyebamiji
The APC candidate suffered the biggest individual setback.
Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes and won 11 local government areas, but that was not enough to overcome Adeleke’s overall advantage.
The former Osun Commissioner for Finance had campaigned on his experience in public finance and promised a new direction for the state.
His defeat means the APC will have to reassess its strategy if it hopes to reclaim Osun in future elections.
As of the latest reports, Oyebamiji himself had not publicly reacted to Adeleke’s victory.
APC
The APC entered the contest with significant advantages.
It controlled the Federal Government and had the support of several prominent political figures, including former governor Adegboyega Oyetola and serving APC governors.
Despite those advantages, the party could not dislodge an incumbent who had moved from the PDP to Accord.
The result is therefore a significant setback for the APC’s attempt to regain control of Osun.
Rauf Aregbesola
Former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola, now National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, backed ADC candidate Najeem Salaam.
The ADC finished behind Adeleke and Oyebamiji, meaning Aregbesola’s attempt to help establish a stronger third force in his home state did not translate into the governorship.
His loss was compounded by the reported defeat of his preferred candidate.
Olagunsoye Oyinlola
Former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola backed Oyebamiji and the APC, calling for a change of direction in Osun.
But the APC lost the overall contest, while Oyinlola’s polling unit reportedly went to Accord.
That makes the outcome another setback for the former governor’s preferred political camp.
Iyiola Omisore
Former deputy governor, senator and APC National Secretary Iyiola Omisore was unable to secure the APC governorship ticket and later saw some of his supporters move towards Adeleke.
His political influence was therefore tested from both directions during the election.
Adegboyega Oyetola
Former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, was one of the prominent APC figures who backed Oyebamiji.
He campaigned for the party and voted in Iragbiji, but the APC ultimately failed to return to power.
Oyetola’s political camp therefore faces another major setback in the state.
Francis Fadahunsi
The Osun East senator was one of Oyebamiji’s vocal supporters during the campaign.
His controversial comments during the election season attracted police attention and widespread criticism.
Despite his strong involvement in the APC campaign, the party lost the governorship.
Hope Uzodimma
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma campaigned for Oyebamiji and predicted that Adeleke would be defeated.
That prediction did not materialise.
Uzodimma also became involved in a public exchange with Davido during the campaign, making his involvement one of the more visible examples of national political figures taking sides in the contest.
Monday Okpebholo
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, who chaired the APC primary committee that produced Oyebamiji, later travelled to Osun to campaign for the APC candidate.
The party’s eventual defeat means the effort did not produce the expected outcome.
The bigger political picture
The Osun election has produced a result that goes beyond the victory of one candidate.
Adeleke has retained power, Accord has gained prominence, the APC has been denied a return to the state, and several national political figures have publicly acknowledged the result.
The fact that Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Saraki and Kwankwaso have all congratulated Adeleke gives the result an even broader political significance ahead of 2027.
For the opposition, the next question is how it responds. For Adeleke, the challenge now shifts from winning another election to justifying the confidence voters have placed in him for a second term.
