#OsunDecides2026: From Political Defections to Final Declaration — 20 Major Moments That Defined Osun’s Election

 

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By Victor Olubiye

The story of the 2026 Osun governorship election did not begin on election day. Long before voters arrived at polling units, the state had already witnessed months of political realignments, defections, internal party crises, legal controversies, campaign battles and rising tension.

As a reporter who followed the political developments surrounding the election, the contest gradually took shape around some of the biggest names in Osun politics, including Governor Ademola Adeleke, former governor Rauf Aregbesola, former governor Gboyega Oyetola, Iyiola Omisore, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and President Bola Tinubu.

One of the earliest developments was the series of political realignments that began taking shape in 2025. Aregbesola's emergence as a major force within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), followed by his early indication that the party would challenge for Osun, gave the opposition landscape a different shape ahead of the election.

At the same time, the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) increasingly raised questions about Adeleke's political future. Speculation grew over whether the governor would remain in the party and seek re-election on its platform.

That uncertainty ended in December 2025 when Adeleke left the PDP for the Accord Party. He subsequently emerged as Accord's governorship candidate, formally putting his re-election bid on a new political platform.

The APC was also working to consolidate its position. Bola Oyebamiji emerged as the party's consensus candidate, placing him at the centre of the APC's challenge to Adeleke.

For the ADC, Najeem Salaam emerged as its governorship candidate, providing Aregbesola with a candidate to support as the party entered the race.

As the major candidates and political camps took shape, the contest increasingly became a battle involving Adeleke and the APC political establishment. The election also became entangled in legal controversies surrounding Adeleke's re-election bid, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already tense political environment.

Adeleke later launched his re-election campaign as political alignments continued to shift. Supporters linked to former governor Iyiola Omisore were among those whose movement towards Adeleke's campaign became part of the unfolding political story.

But the election was not defined by politics alone. Reports of violence increased as the contest progressed. One assessment cited 73 election-related violent incidents and 29 deaths, raising concerns about the security environment surrounding the election.

The involvement of political heavyweights further intensified the contest. Aregbesola, Oyetola, Omisore, Oyinlola and Tinubu were among the prominent figures whose political positions and influence featured prominently in the race.

Ahead of voting, Adeleke and Oyebamiji joined other governorship candidates in signing the Peace Accord, committing themselves to a peaceful election.

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Yet controversy continued into the final stages of the campaign.

A controversy involving APC Senator Francis Fadahunsi became one of the most widely discussed incidents of the election period and later resulted in a police invitation. As election day approached, there were also last-minute defections and endorsements, including moves by some candidates to support Adeleke.

The major parties then intensified their final rallies, with political alignments continuing until the closing days of the campaign.

When voters finally went to the polls, the election came with its own set of challenges. Reports emerged of failures and delays involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), alongside allegations of vote trading.

The attention soon shifted from the polling units to the collation centres, where the results gradually began to reveal the direction of the contest.

As figures from different areas were announced, Adeleke built a lead that became increasingly difficult for Oyebamiji to overturn.

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The final stage came with INEC's declaration.

Adeleke was declared the winner after securing 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes, according to the final figures cited in the supplied election reports.

The declaration brought to an end a political journey that had started months earlier with realignments and defections and passed through party crises, candidate selections, legal controversies, campaign battles, allegations of violence and electoral irregularities, and intense result collation.

#OsunDecides2026 was therefore more than the events of election day. It was the culmination of a long political contest in which alliances shifted, established political structures were tested and the state's electorate eventually delivered the votes that produced the final result.