Governor Ademola Adeleke has secured a second term in office after emerging victorious in the Osun State governorship election, defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, by a margin of 66,252 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, winner of the election on Sunday after the completion of collation across the state’s 30 local government areas.
Announcing the results, the State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, said Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji secured 444,815 votes.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.
A breakdown of the results showed that Adeleke won 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji claimed victory in 11.
Following this winPresident Bola Tinubu congratulated Adeleke on his victory, describing the outcome as a reflection of the confidence the people of Osun State have in the governor’s leadership.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President revealed that he personally called Adeleke to congratulate him following the announcement of the results.
“I called Governor Ademola Adeleke earlier today to congratulate him on his election victory in Osun State. His victory once again confirmed the confidence the people of Osun State have in him,” Tinubu said.
The President urged Adeleke to use his second term to unite residents across political divides and focus on the state’s growth and development.
“Now that he has won, Governor Adeleke must unite the people of Osun State and rally them for growth, stability, and social and economic progress, regardless of the political choices they made at the election,” he added.
Tinubu also commended other candidates, including Oyebamiji and Salaam, for their participation in the election, describing their conduct as a contribution to Nigeria’s democratic development.
He further praised INEC and security agencies for overseeing what he described as a peaceful and transparent electoral process.
Reacting to his victory, Adeleke described the outcome as a triumph for democracy and the people of Osun State.
The governor expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for supporting a credible electoral process and disclosed that the President personally called him after the election.
“I want to seize this opportunity to thank Mr. President. He has called me and congratulated me. Thank you, Mr. President, for making sure democracy lives on because you fought for it,”
“Mr. President is a son of Osun State, and I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for a second term in the 2027 presidential election,”Adeleke said.
The governor struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, calling for peace, unity and reconciliation after weeks of political tension and violence across the state.
“In this race, there is no victor, no vanquished. I extend an olive branch to my co-contestants. I am the governor of all Osun people,” Adeleke said.
He pledged to build on the achievements of his first term while addressing areas where his administration fell short.
“As you have trusted me with a second term in office, I will reinforce my strong points and correct my errors. Osun will witness accelerated development and growth under my renewed five-point agenda,” he said.
Adeleke also urged community leaders, traditional rulers and political stakeholders to promote peace and prevent retaliatory attacks following the election.
The governor observed a minute of silence for victims of pre-election violence and called on residents to forgive one another and rebuild communal harmony.
While Adeleke and his supporters celebrated the victory, the APC is reportedly considering its legal options following the outcome of the poll.
