Governor Ademola Adeleke has not only secured a second term in Osun State, he has done so with a significantly wider margin than the one that brought him to power in 2022.
The difference is striking. Adeleke’s winning margin has more than doubled, while his total votes increased by more than 100,000 and the number of local government areas won by his camp rose from 17 to 19.
The figures provide a clearer picture of how the governor strengthened his position in the state and why the 2026 election ended with a more decisive outcome than the closely fought contest four years earlier.
In 2022, Adeleke, then the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, secured 403,371 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and then-governor, Gboyega Oyetola, who polled 375,027 votes. Adeleke’s margin was 28,344 votes.
This time, running on the platform of the Accord Party, Adeleke secured 511,067 votes, while APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes.
The result gave Adeleke a margin of 66,252 votes, representing an increase of 37,908 votes over his 2022 winning margin.
The change becomes even clearer when the results are viewed across the state’s 30 local government areas. Adeleke won 19 LGAs in 2026, compared with 17 in 2022. The APC’s tally fell from 13 LGAs in 2022 to 11 in the latest election.
More votes, wider advantage
Adeleke’s increased vote total is central to the story.
The governor gained 107,696 more votes than he did in 2022, moving from 403,371 to 511,067. The increase suggests that his support base expanded beyond the level recorded in his first successful bid for the governorship.
His performance in several key areas helped drive that increase.
In Ede North, Adeleke secured 35,427 votes against Oyebamiji’s 10,283. In Ede South, he polled 26,188 votes, while the APC candidate secured 6,219.
Osogbo also went to Adeleke, who secured 36,480 votes against Oyebamiji’s 30,474. In Ife East, the governor polled 27,201 votes, compared with the APC candidate’s 18,600.
These results matter beyond the individual local government areas. Large margins in areas where Adeleke was already competitive allowed him to accumulate enough votes to offset the APC’s victories elsewhere.
The pattern also shows that Adeleke’s strength was not based solely on winning more LGAs. The size of his victories in some of those areas contributed significantly to the statewide margin.
APC still held its ground in some areas
The APC remained competitive in parts of Osun despite losing the election.
Oyebamiji recorded a strong result in Irewole, where he secured 29,972 votes against Adeleke’s 10,934. He also won Boripe with 19,963 votes, compared with Adeleke’s 12,448.
The APC won 11 LGAs overall, showing that it retained a substantial support base and remained capable of delivering strong performances in specific parts of the state.
The difference was the scale of the overall vote. The APC’s victories could not compensate for Adeleke’s margins in several of the areas he won.
That balance shifted further in Adeleke’s favour compared with 2022, when the contest between him and Oyetola was much closer.
Why the 2026 result is politically significant
Adeleke’s 2026 victory also has to be viewed against the political history of his first election.
His 2022 victory over Oyetola was challenged in court. The election petition tribunal initially nullified the result, before the Court of Appeal overturned the decision. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld Adeleke’s election in May 2023.
The governor has now returned to the electorate and secured a second victory with a considerably larger margin.
That gives the 2026 result a different political weight. Adeleke has moved from winning a tightly contested election to demonstrating a stronger electoral advantage across the state.
The result could also influence the political calculations of the APC, which now has to assess why its number of LGA victories fell from 13 to 11 and why it was unable to prevent Adeleke from adding more than 100,000 votes to his previous tally.
For Adeleke, the result provides a stronger platform for his next term. It also gives his administration a fresh opportunity to argue that its policies and performance have translated into broader voter support.
Following the declaration of the result, Adeleke thanked voters and described the outcome as a victory for the people of Osun.
“I feel great, first of all I thank God Almighty for what has happened,” Adeleke said.
He also thanked President Bola Tinubu for congratulating him after the election.
“I want to seize the opportunity to thank Mr. President,” Adeleke said.
Adeleke said the electorate had recognised his administration’s efforts in areas including agriculture, infrastructure and education.
The numbers tell the story
The clearest way to understand Adeleke’s stronger 2026 performance is to compare the key figures from both elections.
His votes rose from 403,371 in 2022 to 511,067 in 2026. His winning margin increased from 28,344 to 66,252 votes. His LGA victories moved from 17 to 19, while the APC’s fell from 13 to 11.
Taken together, the figures show that the 2026 election was not simply a repeat of Adeleke’s 2022 victory.
He expanded his vote total, increased the number of LGAs won and more than doubled his winning margin over the APC.
For the governor, it is a stronger electoral mandate. For the APC, it is a result that raises fresh questions about its strategy, its support base and its ability to close the gap in future elections.
The bigger question now is whether Adeleke can convert this stronger electoral mandate into equally visible political and developmental gains during his next term.
