Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, state governors and other political leaders and groups have congratulated Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election, while commending voters for defending their mandate.
The reactions followed the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission of Adeleke, candidate of the Accord, as the winner of the keenly contested August 15, 2026, governorship election.
Adeleke defeated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and secured another four-year term after winning 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas.
According to the final result declared by INEC, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji scored 444,815 votes, giving the governor a winning margin of 66,252 votes.
The African Democratic Congress candidate and former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The result represents a significant increase in Adeleke’s electoral margin compared with the 2022 governorship election, when he defeated the then-incumbent APC governor, Gboyega Oyetola, by 28,344 votes after scoring 403,371 votes against Oyetola’s 375,027.
The 2026 election also marked a major political shift for Adeleke, who was elected governor in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party but contested his re-election on the Accord platform.
Reacting to the outcome, Atiku, in a statement issued by his media office on Sunday, said Adeleke’s victory reflected the wishes of the people of Osun State, whom he commended for turning out in large numbers despite what he described as attempts to undermine the democratic process.
“The outcome of last Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Osun State is an expression of the wishes of the people, which has earned Governor Adeleke his re-election,” Atiku said.
He said the election demonstrated that voters could protect their ballots by remaining vigilant and participating actively in the electoral process.
“The lesson from the election is that the voters in Osun State have set a good example of how we must come out in large numbers in the general elections next year.
“Another important lesson from the Osun election is that it is a clear manifestation of how the collective resolve of the electorate to stand firm to protect their ballot is the best antidote to rigging, vote buying and other electoral malpractice and irregularities,” he said.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2027 election, also used the outcome to launch a fresh attack on the ruling APC, arguing that the election exposed what he described as growing dissatisfaction with the President Bola Tinubu administration.
He alleged that the heavy presence of security personnel during the election was intended to intimidate voters but said the electorate nevertheless resisted attempts to influence the outcome.
