The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, concluded the Osun governorship election, with Governor Ademola Adeleke declared the winner.
Adeleke of the Accord Party secured 511,067 votes to defeat his closest contender, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 444,815 votes.
Najeem Salaam, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), emerged second runner-up with 17,180 votes, according to the results announced by the Returning Officer for the election, Joshua Ogunwole, at the INEC Collation Centre in Osogbo.
Ogunwole said 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the election, while 1,005,800 votes were recorded.
Although 15 political parties were on the ballot, the race was widely seen as a three-horse contest involving the Accord Party, APC and ADC. The Accord Party and APC, however, emerged as the dominant forces, with the advantage of incumbency and federal backing respectively.
Shortly after his victory, Adeleke said there was no victor and no vanquished, expressing hope that the other candidates would accept the outcome of the election.
Many election observers have described the poll as largely peaceful, with no widespread violence reported during voting.
However, while election day itself passed relatively peacefully at most polling units, NaijaOnPoint understands that the ballot was preceded by weeks of reported killings, threats, arrests, intimidation and violent political clashes that left several people dead and others injured.
This indicates that the relative calm on election day did little to erase the violence, threats and political tension that characterised the build-up to the vote.
Lives Lost Before the Ballot
In the weeks preceding the election, Osun witnessed a surge in politically related violence, particularly in parts of Ilesa and other communities.
For instance, an Accord Party member was killed by suspected thugs believed to be affiliated with the APC a day before the election.
The incident reportedly occurred around 6am on Friday in Omi Eran Atijo community, Osun State.
Similarly, the national chairman of the Accord Party, Maxwell Mgbudem, in a letter dated August 12, 2026, addressed to the Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, raised concerns over what he described as the deteriorating political atmosphere in the state.
Mgbudem claimed that at least 29 party members had been killed and several others injured in separate incidents linked to the political crisis.
Adeleke had earlier made similar allegations during an Arise TV town hall meeting, claiming that eight members of his party had been killed in the months leading to the election.
“In the last three months, we have lost eight party members with more than 20 injured in gun attacks. There is no single prosecution or active arrest till date,” Adeleke alleged.
He further claimed that the attacks were politically motivated and accused alleged APC supporters of being responsible.
“The perpetrators are known Osun APC thugs with crimes committed in the presence of the police. Video evidence is everywhere on the internet,” he said.
The identities and circumstances surrounding some of the alleged victims could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.
The APC, however, also alleged that its members and supporters were victims of politically motivated attacks.
In Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area, a resident was reportedly shot dead while another sustained gunshot injuries. The deceased was said to be an APC supporter and a nephew of Oluwole Oke, the Director-General of the APC Campaign Council and a member of the House of Representatives.
Similarly, four APC members were reportedly shot in Ilesa while preparing for a party rally in the early hours of Tuesday. The assailants were alleged by the party to be linked to the Accord Party.
34 Violent Incidents, 18 Deaths
The scale of the pre-election violence was also highlighted by the Centre for Information and Technology Development (CJID) Conflict Tracker.
According to the tracker, at least 34 election-related violent incidents and 18 deaths were recorded in Osun State from May 2026 ahead of the August 15 poll.
The tracker noted that the figures differed from other accounts, including figures attributed to the Nigeria Police Force and casualty figures released by political parties.
APC campaign alleged that 12 of its supporters were killed within a 24-hour period, including five reportedly killed at a weekend rally and seven others during preparations for a grand rally around the Igbogi area of Ilesa.
Ilesa emerged as one of the major flashpoints, particularly the Igbogi/Ikoti area, while other locations mentioned in connection with political violence included Egbatedo, Oriade, Ijebu-Jesha, Ilobu, Ikire and Osogbo.
Threats, Arrests and Intimidation
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