By Adesina Soyooye 

Accomplished Journalist and a former Nigerian Senator, Babafemi Ojudu, has listed the factors which led to the routing of the All Progressives Congress, APC, by Governor Ademola Adeleke in the Osun State Saturday, August 15, Governorship Election.

Ojudu, an APC chieftain, who was  Presidential Political Adviser in the Office of the Vice President during the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government, listed 15 reasons why APC lost, inspite of the unprecedented obstacles thrown the way of Adeleke and his Accord Party.

In the run-up to the Governorship election, what was seen as deliberate Federal might was thrown at Adeleke’s Government. They descended on him like bees to honey. Not a few people saw it as trying to kill a bee with a sledge hammer. It was like going to war.

After the declaration of the result early Sunday morning  in which Adeleke routed the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, Senator Ojudu listed the factors to blame.

They include, among others, the ill-timed freezing of Osun State’s bank accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the unprovoked and  provocative insults thrown at Adeleke by the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, Senator Fadahunsi’s shocking order to his loyalists to kill Accord members and more, International singer, Davido’s influence, the imposition of the APC Governorship candidate by Minister former Governor Gboyega Oyetola – Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, as well as the hunger in the land.

Following are the 15 factors as listed by Senator Ojudu in his Facebook post which have since drawn endorsements by netizens.

Those Who Defeated The APC in Osun State

●1. Whoever was responsible for the hunger in the land.

●2. The Edo State Governor, whose ill-advised and insulting outbursts against the Governor of Osun State only provoked resentment and strengthened Adeleke’s support.

●3. Whoever authorised the freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts.

●4. Senator Fadahunsi, who reportedly said that Accord Party members should be killed.

●5. Hon. Wole Oke, who went everywhere boasting about Tinubu’s name and power.

●6. Ero Arike, with her endless rants and curses.

●7. Former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who imposed an unpopular candidate and denied party members the freedom to choose their own flag-bearer.

●8. The governors and party leaders who invaded the state as though they had come to conquer its people.

●9. Governor Ademola Adeleke’s irrepressible dance steps.

●10. Davido and his crowd-pulling magic.

●11. Whoever advised the governor to commission numerous projects in the run-up to the election, thereby bringing traditional rulers onto the podium with him and giving his campaign greater visibility and legitimacy.

●12. The people of Osun—a determined and fearless people who courageously confronted thugs deployed to seize ballot boxes, even snatching guns and axes from them.

●13. The creativity of the people, expressed through their witty, biting and bile-laden campaign songs.

●14. Adeleke’s strategists, particularly those who coached and prepared him for the debate, where he exceeded the expectations of many.

●15. Adeleke’s top notch media team. Give it to them. They did a good job.

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Re-elected Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has described the outcome of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in the state as that of no-victor ,no vanquished .

This is as he stated that he was still waiting for his main rival, the All Progressive Congress’  Bola Oyebamiji to congratulate him over his victory.

Governor Adeleke was early Sunday morning declared the winner of the off-circle Governorship context conducted on Saturday August 15,2027 .

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC declared Adeleke winner after he polled a total of 511,067 votes.

His closest rival ,APC’s Oyebamiji secured 444 ,815 votes to place second in the tension-soaked , acrimonious and hotly contested election.

According to the INEC Returning Officer for the election ,the Vice Chancellor of Federal University Oye-Ekiti ,Prof . Joshua Ogunwole , the Governor won in 19 local councils to secure his second term in office , while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11 Local Government Areas to place second.

Speaking after the official announcement of the results of the poll, Adeleke described his victory as a  triumph for democracy and  the good people of Osun state.

He gave glory to God for facilitating victory in the midst of heavy odds.

He, also,  thanked President  Bola Tinubu, who he said has called to congratulate him over his victory.

“I thank God Almighty for this victory. It is a victory for democracy. Victory for Osun people.

“I want to seize this opportunity to thank Mr President. Mr President has called me and has congratulated me.

Thank you, Mr President  for making sure democracy lives on because you fought for it”

“The victory is a way Osun people are repaying me for the infrastructural developments, health, security and other things I have delivered for my people.

“The outcome of the election is that of winners and losers, it is “no victor ,no vanquished”, he stated.

Governor Adeleke expressed the hope that his opponents, especially APC’s Oyebamiji, would follow the footsteps of the president to congratulate him.

According to him, political contest should not be perceived as a warfare, but as a sport,  further expressing the optimism that his rival will accept the outcome of the polls in good faith.

President Bola Tinubu has charged the newly re-elected Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to use his second term in office to unite the people of the state and rally them for growth, irrespective  of their affiliation during election.

The President was of the view that the re-election of Governor Adeleke in the just-concluded Osun election is a fitting assurance that democracy will continue to flourish in our country under the All Progressives Congress, (APC) administration.

A statement by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the president, quoted Mr. President as saying: “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.

“I wish him great success as he prepares to lead the State for the next four years.

“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.

“I salute the courage and discipline displayed by other contestants in the election. Their participation deepened and enriched our country’s democratic culture.

“The outcome of the election reflects the will of the people and is a fitting assurance that democracy will continue to flourish in our land.”

President Tinubu commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and the security agencies for conducting a peaceful and transparent election that produced a clear winner.

By Ayodele Oni

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, who has just been relected for second term at Saturday’s election, has stated that the victory was not about him alone, but a victory for democracy and the people of Osun State.

In his first reaction, Adeleke gave all the glory to God, insisting that voters rewarded his administration for what he described as visible progress in infrastructure, education and agriculture.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, 2026, declared Adeleke candidate of Accord Party, winner in  Saturday’s Governorship Election in the State.

 INEC’s Presiding officer,  Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) Prof Lekan Ogunwole, announced the winner of the election. Even before the announcement, over-joyed Osun people had started celebrating.

In the results announced, Governor Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat his bitterest challenger and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes and the Najeem Salam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with 17,180 votes to place distant third.

The ADC and the other 12 Political Parties had no business in the contest. They performed woefully and could be described as mere onlookers.

Out of the 30 Local Government Areas, Adeleke emerged victorious in 19, while Oyebamiji of the APC clinched 11 LGAs.

According to Adeleke, the message from the people was clear: they had seen the impact of his government and were willing to give him another term.

While he did not unveil fresh policy details, Adeleke signalled that his administration would continue along the path established during his first tenure.

The victory further cements Adeleke’s hold on Osun politics, while handing the opposition a major defeat in one of  South-West’s most fiercely contested states.

While INEC has yet to issue the Certificate of Return, celebrations had already erupted in Ede, Adeleke’s hometown. Supporters were seen dancing in the streets chanting “Imole ti de.”

Adeleke, who defected from PDP to Accord Party earlier this year, campaigned on consolidating his welfare programmes, infrastructure projects, and grassroots empowerment.

Saturday’s election recorded total valid votes of 985,079,  rejected ballots: 20,721 with  total votes cast standing at 1,005,800

The turn out was far from being impressive. From 2,339,544 registered voters, 1,010,684 were accredited — a turnout of 43.2%.

Adeleke carried 19 of 30 LGAs, including his strongholds of Ede, Osogbo, Ilesa, and Iwo. Oyebamiji won 11 LGAs, but couldn’t overcome Adeleke’s margins in the populous urban centres.

The 66,252-vote gap is one of the widest in a competitive Osun governorship contest in the last decade.

The result is a massive blow to the APC. The party had thrown everything at Osun. The National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda called it a “must-win.”

A 276-member campaign council led by Governor Hope Uzodimma was deployed. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Minister Adegboyega Oyetola, and several governors stormed Osogbo for the mega rally. They all descended on the State in what looked like trying to kill an ant with a sledge hammer.

As the outcome tilted heavily towards an Adeleke victory, APC leaders were seen leaving the state late Saturday.

“This was a referendum on performance, not party structure,” a political analyst in Osogbo had declared. Another said: “It is a dress rehearsal for 2027.”

By Ayodele Oni

As voters in Osun State trooped out on Saturday to vote in the governorship election, reports from various parts of the state confirmed allegations of vote buying, harassment by security agents and arrest of suspected thugs by the police.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier distributed materials across the state’s 30 local government areas.

With 2.3 million registered voters and 15 candidates in the race, the election also recorded complaints over the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and an outbreak of violence at a polling unit in Ejigbo Local Government Area.

Report monitored via Channel’s Television, indicate that at 12:19 p.m., violence at Polling Unit 13, Ward 4, in Ejigbo LGA was said to have ensued after a youth found vote-buying materials allegedly belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to the youth, the materials were seized because they could not watch illegality occur without doing anything about it. The people to whom the materials allegedly belong later arrived to whisk him away.

Earlier, at 12:02 p.m., voting had stopped at the polling unit following the eruption of violence, with INEC officials and residents scampering to safety.

Meanwhile, Governor Ademola Adeleke raised the alarm over alleged intimidation of voters by the police and the APC.

The governor, who is the candidate of the Accord Party, had earlier cast his vote at 9:10 a.m. at Abogunde Comprehensive 009, Ward 02, Abogunde Sagba, Ede North.

“I have received reports on authority, information that there is one police officer who was deployed to come and do a hatchet job in Osun from Port Harcourt.

“They call his nickname London. He is here in Ede hiding. His own job is to come and destroy Ede, and then scare people, shooting so that they will not vote.

“So, I am calling on the Inspector-General of Police to take note. I am calling on the security agencies to take note. They should deploy him,” Adeleke stated.

Similarly, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, raised concerns over the alleged denial of accreditation to ADC party agents in some polling units.

According to Salaam, the names of the agents were duly uploaded, but he claimed that the repeated denial of their accreditation amounted to a failure on the part of INEC.

“When you request for the party to upload their party agent and we did, I don’t understand how and why the party agent will not be given a tag.

“So if at the end of the day we do not have this, then the process is very questionable. Vote buying is out of it. I have never in my life bought votes.”

But the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Oyebamiji, commended INEC and security operatives for their efforts towards ensuring a smooth and peaceful exercise.

Oyebamiji, who cast his vote at Ward 9, Unit 11, in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of the state, along with his wife, Sekinat, appealed to the people of Osun State to remain calm and conduct themselves peacefully as voting and the collation of results continue.

“So far, my assessment is that everything is going peacefully, especially this unit. The election is going peacefully; INEC is doing their job; at the same time, the security people are in charge.

“I need to appeal to the people that it is important that they conduct themselves and vote peacefully.”

International election observers were sighted at Polling Unit 001, Ward 04, Alajue, Ede South, at 11 a.m.

At 10:48 a.m., voters at Unit 1, Alajue, Bode Street, Ede South, were seen in a long queue waiting to cast their ballots.

The polling unit has 869 registered voters, with complaints about the BVAS being slow.

The APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, arrived to cast his vote at 10:47 a.m., while a long queue was also reported at Alajue PU 001, Ward 04, Ede South LGA.

Voting was also ongoing in Ijebu Ijesa, Oriade LGA, and Esa-Oke, Obokun LGA, as of 10:40 a.m., although the APC Campaign Council Director-General, Oluwole Oke, complained of a slight delay in accreditation due to issues with the BVAS device.

The Commissioner of Police, Erale Samuel Etaifo, said about 100 people from neighbouring Ondo and Ekiti states were in custody over alleged plans to disrupt the election.

He added that no arrests had been made so far on Saturday in connection with electoral violence.

“We have about 100 people in custody who have come from neighbouring states of Ondo and Ekiti to disrupt this election for the past one month. However, no arrests have been made today (so far) as a result of electoral violence,” he said.

Earlier, some voters in Ejigbo LGA were agitating over alleged vote-buying by a political party in the area. The development came amid reports of BVAS difficulties at Polling Unit 13, Ward 4, where a voter said the system did not recognise her.