Governor Ademola Adeleke has taken an early lead in the first batch of results emerging from Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, with the incumbent recording strong figures against his closest rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
Voting has ended across the state, with sorting and counting underway at polling units and results gradually being uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
As of 4:30pm, 903 of the 3,763 polling unit results expected across the state had been uploaded to the portal, with Adeleke’s Accord Party leading in the results so far reviewed by our correspondent.
The emerging figures, however, represent only a fraction of the total results and do not yet indicate the final outcome of the election.
Osun Poll: Adeyanju Seeks US, UK Visa Ban on Senator Fadahunsi
At Ward 4, Unit 39, Osogbo Local Government Area, Accord secured 65 votes, ahead of the APC’s 43 votes. ADC scored two votes, while AA, AAC and ZLP recorded one vote each.
At another polling unit in Ward 4, Unit 13, Osogbo, Accord again led with 134 votes, while APC polled 75 votes. ADC recorded four votes, while ADP, AAC and APGA secured one vote each.
The incumbent also recorded a strong showing at Ede North, 007/02/07/29, where Accord secured 104 votes, compared with 47 votes for APC. ADC scored one vote.
The early results point to a competitive contest between Adeleke and Oyebamiji, with results from more polling units expected to be uploaded as the collation process progresses.
The development comes after millions of registered voters across the state’s 30 local government areas went to the polls to choose the governor for the next four years.
Adeleke, who is seeking a second term on the Accord Party platform, cast his vote earlier in the day at Unit 9, Ward 2, Sagba Abogunde, Ede North, alongside his wife, Titilola Adeleke.
The governor arrived at the polling unit at about 8:39am, completed accreditation and cast his ballot before his wife followed suit.
The election has effectively been framed as a two-horse contest between Adeleke and Oyebamiji, although 15 candidates are on the ballot.
The APC candidate is seeking to wrest power from Adeleke and return the party to the Osun Government House, while the incumbent is campaigning for another term on the strength of his administration’s record.
The election has also attracted significant attention because of Osun’s political importance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Earlier in the day, President Bola Tinubu urged INEC and security agencies to ensure a peaceful and transparent election and allow the will of the electorate to prevail.
Why Supreme Court Ordered Lawyers to Stop Calling Themselves ‘Barrister
FG Opens Recruitment Into Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service — How to Apply
The Nigeria Police Force imposed a 42-hour restriction on movement across the state, beginning at midnight on Friday and ending at 6pm on Saturday, as part of measures announced to secure the election.
INEC had said 1,906,390 of Osun’s 2,339,233 registered voters collected their Permanent Voter Cards, representing 81.50 per cent of the registered electorate.
The commission is expected to continue uploading results to IReV while returning officers undertake the formal collation process.
For now, Adeleke holds the early advantage in the results publicly available, but the race remains open with thousands of polling unit results still to be uploaded.
The emerging figures are consistent with reports from several polling units where sorting and counting commenced shortly after voting ended.
