Aug 15, 2026

Adeleke Takes Early Lead with 177,572 Votes in Osun Governorship Collation

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

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Osogbo, Osun State – August 15, 2026 — Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has taken an early lead in the ongoing collation of results from Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, polling 177,572 votes from 303 of the state’s 332 wards.

According to figures tracked by the Nigeria Elections Intelligence System and reported by major outlets, Adeleke’s tally represents 50.5 per cent of the votes counted so far.

His closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), trails with 158,588 votes (45.1 per cent). Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is in third place with 5,917 votes.

Voter Turnout and Early Numbers

Out of 845,100 registered voters in the state, 361,500 were accredited, giving a turnout of 42.8 percent. A total of 351,500 valid votes were recorded, while 7,200 ballots were rejected.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicated that about 43.41 per cent of polling units had reported results as collation continued across the 30 local government areas.

Results are still provisional and will only become official when INEC’s Returning Officer formally declares the outcome at the state collation centre once all outstanding wards have been accounted for.

Background to the Contest

Adeleke, who is seeking a second term, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Accord Party ahead of the election. INEC cleared 14 political parties to participate after the PDP and Labour Party failed to field candidates.

His running mate is Kola Adenusi, while Oyebamiji, a former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, is paired with Benjamin Adereti.

The election, an off-cycle poll originally scheduled for earlier in the month before a rescheduling by INEC, has been closely watched as a test of political realignments in the South-West.

Watching the Final Stretch

As results continue to upload to INEC’s IReV portal and formal collation proceeds, both leading camps are monitoring the remaining wards carefully.

Supporters of the incumbent have expressed optimism at the early figures, while the APC has urged patience and insisted that the full picture is yet to emerge.

The final declaration is expected once all 332 wards complete the process. Until then, the numbers remain fluid, and every outstanding result could still influence the eventual margin.