Many towns and villages erupted in jubilation on Sunday morning shortly after Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Accord as the winner of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the governorship election, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner after polling a total of 511,067 votes.
Ogunwole stated that a total of 1,005,800 votes were cast during the election, with 985,079 b valid votes and 20,721 rejected votes.
He said out of the valid votes, Accord party scored the highest number of votes.
“I, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, hereby certify that I am the returning officer for the 2026 Osun governorship election held on Aug. 15, and declare that Ademola Jackson Adeleke of the Accord Party, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner,” Ogunwole said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Adeleke scored 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressive Congress who garnered 444,815 votes.
The candidate of African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, came a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke, in total, won in 19 local government areas while Oyebamiji won in 11 local government areas.
He is expected to be sworn-in for another four-year term on Nov. 27.
After INEC pronouncement, the streets of Ede North and Ede South erupted in jubilation as residents commended the umpire for conducting a credible and peaceful governorship election in Osun.
The residents, who spoke in interview with the News Agency of Nigeria said the electoral process was generally orderly and transparent in spite of some political violence recorded.
NAN reports that Ede environs witnessed people dancing and jubilating after the electoral umpire disclosed Adeleke as winner of the election keenly contested by his rival, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, of the All Progressives Congress.
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Streets across Ede recorded motorcycles and vehicles with people dancing and singing songs of joy and happiness.
There was jubilation in Osogbo following the declaration of Gov. Ademola Adeleke as the winner of Saturday’s governorship election.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that immediately after the final results were announced, supporters and residents of the town trooped out in large numbers to celebrate the victory.
Supporters of the governor, who had gathered at the INEC office as early as 5.00a.m., danced at the commission’s main entrance shortly after the declaration.
Many of the supporters and residents were seen riding motorcycles and driving around the town, singing victory songs and celebrating the outcome of the election.
At Ile Ife jubilation erupted following the declaration of Gov. Ademola Adeleke as winner as residents celebrated the governor’s victory and expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of election.
Osun Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Olusesan Oyedele, thanked God for the peaceful conduct of the election, without killings or destruction of property across state.
Oyedele described the election as free, fair and credible, commending INEC officials for conducting the exercise without bias and ensuring a transparent electoral process across Osun.
He also commended the electorate for their orderliness and urged them to remain law-abiding, saying peaceful participation was essential to sustaining democracy and development across the state.
Also, Mrs Busayo Arayela, an Accord Party leader, acknowledged God’s grace for allowing peace to prevail in Osun before and during the election, expressing hope it continued.
Arayela said party members and leaders were enthusiastic about the peaceful manner the electorate conducted themselves throughout the electoral exercise, describing the development as encouraging for democracy.
She said the efforts of traditional rulers, particularly Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, in advocating for peace and urging residents to “give peace a chance” could not be overemphasised.
The party leader appreciated God for preventing evil occurrences in Ife North, Ife East, Ife South and Ife Central, as well as other parts of Osun during election.
Arayela appealed to residents and stakeholders to maintain peace across the state after declaration of the result, urging everyone to accept the outcome responsibly and peacefully thereafter.
She also admonished Adeleke to sustain his developmental programmes across Osun, urging him not to disappoint residents but ensure delivery of democratic dividends to communities across state.
NAN
