The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded the announcement of results from all 30 Local Government Areas in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, with attention now shifting to the formal declaration of the winner.
According to the results announced during the collation exercise, the Accord Party candidate and incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, secured a total of 511,067 votes, placing him ahead of his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The results showed a clear division across the state, with Adeleke winning 19 of the 30 Local Government Areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in the remaining 11 LGAs.
The completion of the LGA-level announcements has heightened anticipation in Osogbo, the state capital, as residents, party supporters, journalists and other stakeholders reportedly kept vigil around the INEC headquarters awaiting the final declaration.
The election, which took place on Saturday, August 15, attracted substantial voter participation across the state. Earlier reports from the collation process showed Adeleke maintaining a significant lead over Oyebamiji as results were announced from different parts of the state.
The contest was, however, not without reported challenges, including allegations of vote-buying, isolated disruptions, ballot-related incidents and technical difficulties involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some locations.
With the results from all 30 LGAs now announced, the next critical step is for the designated INEC Returning Officer to complete the statutory process and formally declare the candidate who has secured the highest number of valid votes as the winner.
Until that declaration is made, the figures announced at the various collation stages remain part of the electoral process, even though Adeleke has emerged with a commanding statewide lead based on the figures supplied.
Political stakeholders and supporters of the two leading candidates are expected to remain at the collation centre as they await INEC’s final pronouncement on the outcome of the keenly contested election.
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