The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the incumbent Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, winner of the state’s governorship election.
Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured 444,815 votes.
The result gives Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, announced the final result on Sunday after the collation of results from the state’s 30 local government areas.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke celebrates victory, thanks Tinubu
Reacting to the outcome, Adeleke described his re-election as a victory for democracy and the people of Osun State.
The governor also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, revealing that the President had personally called to congratulate him.
“I want to seize this opportunity to thank Mr. President. He has called me and he has congratulated me. Thank you Mr. President for making sure democracy lives on because you fought for it,” Adeleke said.
The governor also thanked God and supporters who backed his campaign throughout the election.
Adeleke expects Oyebamiji’s congratulatory call
Adeleke said he expected Oyebamiji to reach out and congratulate him following the declaration of the result.
According to the governor, the election should not be viewed as a victory for one side and a defeat for another, stressing that “it’s no victor, no vanquished.”
How the candidates performed across the LGAs
The final results showed that Adeleke won 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.
Adeleke secured victories in Ede North, Osogbo, Ede South, Iwo, Ife East, Ife Central, Ifelodun, Oriade, Egbedore, Odo Otin, Ilesa West, Ila, Ayedaade, Ife North, Orolu, Boluwaduro, Ayedire, Ifedayo and Ejigbo.
Some of Adeleke’s strongest results came from areas where he recorded wide margins over the APC candidate.
In Ede North, Adeleke polled 35,427 votes against Oyebamiji’s 10,283, giving him a margin of 25,144 votes.
He also recorded a significant victory in Ede South, where he secured 26,188 votes compared with Oyebamiji’s 6,219, a difference of 19,969 votes.
Together, the two Ede councils gave Adeleke 61,615 votes, while Oyebamiji received 16,502, handing the governor a combined advantage of 45,113 votes.
Osogbo adds to Adeleke’s lead
Adeleke also secured the state capital, Osogbo, where he polled 36,480 votes against Oyebamiji’s 30,474.
The governor therefore won the local government by 6,006 votes.
The ADC candidate recorded 1,503 votes in Osogbo, making it one of the party’s stronger performances among the results supplied.
Adeleke dominates the Ife axis
The governor also performed strongly across much of the Ife axis.
In Ife East, Adeleke secured 27,201 votes against Oyebamiji’s 18,600, giving him an 8,601-vote advantage.
In Ife Central, Adeleke polled 21,171 votes, while Oyebamiji recorded 15,913, a difference of 5,258 votes.
Adeleke further won Ife North, where he received 13,879 votes against the APC candidate’s 9,613.
The APC, however, won Ife South, with Oyebamiji scoring 14,678 votes against Adeleke’s 13,507.
Across the four Ife councils, Adeleke accumulated 75,758 votes, compared with APC’s 58,804, giving him a combined advantage of 16,954 votes.
Other strongholds boost Adeleke
Adeleke’s lead was further strengthened by victories in several other local government areas.
In Egbedore, he polled 19,278 votes against Oyebamiji’s 11,194, winning by 8,084 votes.
In Iwo, Adeleke secured 27,085 votes, while Oyebamiji recorded 19,660, giving the governor a 7,425-vote advantage.
The governor also won Oriade, where he scored 21,343 votes against APC’s 14,863, a margin of 6,480 votes.
APC wins 11 LGAs
Although Oyebamiji lost the statewide contest, the APC maintained a strong presence across the state, winning 11 of the 30 local government areas.
The party won Ilesa East, Boripe, Irepodun, Obokun, Atakumosa West, Irewole, Atakumosa East, Isokan, Olaoluwa, Ife South and Olorunda.
One of Oyebamiji’s strongest performances came in Irewole, where he secured 29,972 votes against Adeleke’s 10,934, producing a margin of 19,038 votes.
In Boripe, the APC candidate polled 19,963 votes against Adeleke’s 12,448, winning by 7,515 votes.
Despite these victories, APC’s gains were insufficient to overcome the large margins Adeleke accumulated in his strongest areas.
The mathematics behind Adeleke’s victory
The election demonstrated the importance of vote margins rather than simply the number of local government areas won.
While Adeleke won 19 LGAs and Oyebamiji won 11, the decisive factor was the size of the victories recorded by each candidate in their respective strongholds.
Adeleke’s huge margins in Ede North and Ede South, combined with his victories in Osogbo, the Ife axis, Iwo, Egbedore and other areas, created a substantial cushion.
The Ede results were particularly significant. Adeleke’s combined 45,113-vote advantage in the two councils accounted for a sizeable portion of his overall statewide margin.
The final figures gave Adeleke 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815, leaving the governor with a 66,252-vote advantage.
The result therefore secured Adeleke another term in office and confirmed the Accord candidate as the winner of the Osun governorship election.
