Governor Ademola Adeleke has taken a clear lead over his closest challenger, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continues the collation of results from the 2026 Osun State governorship election. 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 about 87.5 per cent of the expected polling-unit results.
Adeleke was leading with 439,132 votes, while Oyebamiji had 379,255 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, was in third position. Although the figures placed Adeleke ahead by a significant margin, INEC had not concluded the official collation and had yet to make a final declaration. The election was marked by strong voter participation in several parts of the state, but reports of vote-buying, voter inducement, isolated violence and technical problems involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) were also recorded.
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 won at polling units associated with prominent political figures, including former Deputy Governor and Senator Iyiola Omisore in Ife East and former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
Oyebamiji, however, recorded a strong victory at the polling unit associated with former Governor Rauf Aregbesola in Ilesa. The APC candidate secured 256 votes at the unit, while Adeleke’s Accord Party polled 43 votes and Salaam of the ADC received 13 votes. The result attracted attention because Aregbesola, who is now the National Secretary of the ADC, had backed Salaam in the governorship election. As Adeleke’s lead widened, his Imole Campaign Council expressed concern over alleged moves that could lead to the election being declared inconclusive. The council’s Media Chairman, Bamidele Salam, urged INEC to remain committed to the integrity of the electoral process and called on security agencies to protect collation centres across the state. The allegation, however, had not been independently confirmed by INEC.
Election observers reported several irregularities during the election, including alleged vote-buying and voter inducement. 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. The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub also reported 323 electoral offences and 38 security incidents from information gathered by 823 observers deployed across the state’s 30 local government areas. The reported offences included 103 cases of vote trading, 85 incidents involving exposed ballots and 31 cases of voter obstruction. The observers also recorded technical challenges with BVAS devices. According to the report, 58 devices, representing 7.9 per cent of those observed, developed faults, although 41 were later restored.
Reports from Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, also indicated alleged attempts to influence voters. Party agents were reportedly positioned around some polling units to monitor voting patterns, while some voters were allegedly offered between N20,000 and N30,000 to vote for particular candidates. Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) were deployed to some areas, including Ejigbo, to monitor possible electoral offences.
ADC governorship candidate Najeem Salaam alleged that he escaped an attack shortly after casting his vote at Ward 4, Polling Unit 13, Ejigbo.His party said residents intervened to prevent the incident from escalating.
Journalists covering the election in Ejigbo also reported attacks on their vehicles. The incident reportedly led to a temporary suspension of voting at one polling unit. There were also political tensions in other parts of the state. Adeleke condemned the arrest of Osun PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi, at his residence in Ilesa after he voted. The governor described the arrest as an attempt to intimidate opposition supporters.
A brief confrontation was also reported 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 later brought under control. Despite the challenges, voter participation was notable in several communities. Among those who came out to vote were 80-year-old Chief Ramon Busari, the Oluode of Ejigbo, and 97-year-old Pa Isaac Adeniran Adesanmi of Obokun Local Government Area. The elderly voters encouraged younger Nigerians to participate actively in elections and exercise their civic responsibilities.
Osun State has 2,339,233 registered voters, while 1,906,390, representing about 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 remains ahead of Oyebamiji. However, the figures are not yet the final result, as INEC still has to complete the collation and verification of outstanding results. The commission is expected to continue the process before making the official declaration. Until then, Adeleke remains in the lead, while Oyebamiji, Salaam and other participating candidates await the conclusion of the collation process.
