Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has secured a second term in office after winning Saturday’s governorship election with 511,067 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, the winner of the keenly contested poll early Sunday morning.
The State Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, announced the final result at about 7:24am at the INEC collation centre in Osogbo.
Adeleke defeated his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who polled 444,815 votes.
The governor secured victory in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won in 11 LGAs.
Adeleke’s winning LGAs were Ede North, Ede South, Ejigbo, Iwo, Egbedore, Ife North, Ife East, Ife Central, Oriade, Ifelodun, Orolu, Ayedaade, Ayedire, Odo Otin, Boluwaduro, Ilesa West, Ifedayo, Osogbo and Ila-Orangun.
Oyebamiji won in Irewole, Isokan, Olorunda, Atakumosa East, Atakumosa West, Ilesa East, Boripe, Irepodun and Obokun.
The African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
According to the final figures announced by INEC, 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the election. The total votes cast stood at 1,005,800, while 985,079 votes were declared valid.
The Returning Officer formally declared Adeleke the winner after party agents signed the collated results.
Ogunwole said, “That Ademola Nurudeen-Jackson Adeleke, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the August 15 Governorship election and returned elected.”
The victory extends Adeleke’s tenure as governor of Osun State after a closely fought campaign that saw the Accord and APC dominate the contest and intense political activity across the state in the weeks leading to the election.
