The Accord Party has defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polling unit of former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in Saturday’s governorship election.
Results uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal showed that Accord polled 125 votes at Court Hall I, Okuku, in Odo Otin Local Government Area.
The APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, came second with 85 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured five votes.
The African Action Congress (AAC) recorded two votes, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) each polled one vote.
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Several other parties, including the Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), recorded no votes at the polling unit.
The result sheet showed that 228 voters were accredited, with 220 valid votes cast and eight rejected ballots.
The outcome is particularly notable because Oyinlola, who governed Osun State between 2003 and 2010, had recently endorsed Oyebamiji, the APC candidate, ahead of the election.
His endorsement had attracted attention given his previous political relationship with incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the Accord Party platform.
The result means that Adeleke’s party secured a clear victory at the former governor’s polling unit despite Oyinlola’s public support for the APC candidate.
Adeleke had criticised Oyinlola’s decision to back Oyebamiji during a town hall meeting on Tuesday, recalling what he described as the former governor’s repeated opposition to his political ambitions.
The governor alleged that Oyinlola opposed his bid for the Senate in 2007 and also worked against him during the 2018 and 2022 governorship elections.
Adeleke said Oyinlola later sought reconciliation after his victory in the 2022 election, which he accepted because of what he described as his “forgiving spirit”.
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The governor further claimed that Oyinlola had complained about not having a vehicle, prompting him to provide one.
Adeleke subsequently dismissed Oyinlola’s political influence, describing him as a “paperweight” and insisting that his endorsement of the APC candidate would not determine the outcome of the governorship election.
The result from Okuku therefore offers an early indication that the former governor’s endorsement did not translate into victory for the APC at his own polling unit.
