Osun State Governor and Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has won 19 of the state’s 30 Local Government Areas in Saturday’s governorship election, while his closest challenger, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji, secured 11 LGAs.
The result gives Adeleke an early advantage as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) moves towards the final declaration of the election outcome.
Although 15 political parties participated in the poll, the contest was largely dominated by Accord and the APC, with other candidates trailing significantly across the state.
African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 14,989 votes.
The results from the 30 local government areas were collated and announced on Sunday, with attention now shifting to the official declaration of the winner by INEC.
The State Returning Officer for the election, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, is expected to formally announce the final result at the INEC state collation centre in Osogbo.
Adeleke, who is seeking another term in office, will be hoping the final figures from the collation process translate his lead in local government victories into an overall majority in the total votes cast.
The election has been closely watched after weeks of intense campaigning, political realignments and heightened tension across the state.
