BREAKING: Adeleke Wins Osun Governorship Election, INEC Declares
By: Abudu Olalekan
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has been returned for a second term, and honestly, the numbers weren’t close.
The declaration came just after 7:24 am on Sunday, long after most people had gone to bed. State Returning Officer Prof Joshua Ogunwole, who doubles as Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, read out the figures to a room that had been waiting all night.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes. His closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, managed 444,815.
That’s a gap of over 66,000 votes.
The governor, who ran this time on the platform of the Accord party, won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas. Oyebamiji took the rest.
Adeleke’s strongholds held firm — Ede North, Ede South, Ejigbo, Iwo, Egbedore, Ife North, Ife East, Ife Central, Oriade, Ifelodun, Orolu, Ayedaade, Ayedire, Odo Otin, Boluwaduro, Ilesa West, Ifedayo and Osogbo all fell his way. Home turf, mostly. No surprises there.
The APC candidate pulled his own weight in Irewole, Isokan, Olorunda, Atakumosa East, Atakumosa West, Ilesa East, Boripe, Irepodun and Obokun. Solid, but not nearly enough.
Reading out the breakdown, Ogunwole said: “Accredited voters, 1,010,684; total votes received by political parties: A, 511,067; AA, 2,308; AAC, 1,458; ADC, 17,180; ADP, 2,946; APC, 444,815; APGA, 1,475; APM, 234; APP, 114; BP, 111; NNPP, 118; PRP, 83; SDP, 155; YPP, 534; ZLP, 2,482. Total valid votes, 985,079; rejected votes, 207; total votes cast, 1,005,800.”
Party agents came forward and signed off on the results. Only then did the returning officer make it official.
“That Ademola Nurudeen-Jackson Adeleke, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the August 15 governorship election and returned elected,” Ogunwole announced.
Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress finished third with 17,180 votes — a distant third, if we’re being plain about it.
Voting held across all 30 LGAs on Saturday, with collation stretching deep into the night. By the time the last result came in, Reportersroom observed supporters already gathering outside the collation centre, singing, dancing, some of them clearly not bothered about the cold morning air.
For Adeleke, it’s four more years. And for a man they call the “dancing governor,” you can guess how the celebration went.
Olalekan A. Abudu is a seasoned and dedicated News Journalist at REPORTERS ROOM, with over eight years of experience. He specializes in politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial issues. Committed to accuracy and balanced reporting, Olalekan exemplifies the principles of public-interest journalism.
