The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared incumbent Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke winner of Saturday’s governorship election, securing him a second four-year term.

Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who received 444,815 votes. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came third with 17,180 votes.

State Returning Officer Joshua Ogunwole announced the result at the INEC State Collation Centre in Osogbo on Sunday morning after results from all 30 local government areas had been collated.

Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11. The result gave the incumbent a winning margin of 66,252 votes.

INEC said 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the election. A total of 1,005,800 votes were cast, of which 985,079 were valid and 20,721 were rejected. Fifteen political parties contested the election.

Adeleke was first elected governor in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeating then-incumbent Gboyega Oyetola of the APC. He later left the PDP amid an internal leadership crisis and joined the Accord Party ahead of his re-election bid.

Reacting to the result, Adeleke described his re-election as a victory for the people of Osun State and extended an olive branch to his opponents.

“In this race, there is no victor and no vanquished. I extend my olive branch to my co-contestants,” he said in an address after the declaration.

Adeleke said his administration would seek to accelerate development and transform Osun from what he described as a predominantly civil service-driven economy into an industrial and investment destination.

President Bola Tinubu congratulated Adeleke on his re-election, saying the outcome reflected the will of the people and demonstrated confidence in the governor.

Tinubu urged Adeleke to unite residents of the state regardless of their political choices and work towards growth, stability and socioeconomic development. The president also commended INEC and security agencies for what he described as a peaceful and transparent election.

Adeleke, in response, thanked Tinubu for supporting what he described as a free and fair electoral process. He also reaffirmed his support for the president’s bid for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.

Meanwhile, the Osun State chapter of the APC said it was reviewing the election results across the state’s 332 wards before deciding its next course of action.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the party said it would consult its legal team and consider options available under the electoral law. It urged its members and supporters to remain calm while the review was ongoing.