#OSUNDECIDES2026: Makinde congratulates Adeleke on Osun re-election

Politics

IBADAN, Nigeria (NPA) — Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has congratulated his Osun State counterpart, Ademola Adeleke, on his victory in Saturday’s governorship election.

In a statement on Sunday, August 16, 2026, Makinde described Adeleke’s journey to re-election as a “long and arduous journey”, saying the outcome reflected the will of the people of Osun State.

“Hearty congratulations to my brother, His Excellency Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election as Governor of Osun State. It has indeed been a long and arduous journey, but we are delighted that the will of the good people of Osun State prevailed in the end,” Makinde said.

The congratulatory message came after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke winner of the closely contested election following the final collation of results at the state collation centre in Osogbo on Sunday.

As earlier reported by Newpost Africa, Adeleke won 19 of the 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs), while his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 11 LGAs.

The State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, declared Adeleke winner after the results from all 30 LGAs were collated and party agents signed the results.

According to the INEC figures, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, defeating Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes.

The margin between the two leading candidates stood at 66,252 votes.

The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.

Makinde’s congratulatory message adds to a series of reactions from political leaders following Adeleke’s return to office, with the election outcome marking the conclusion of a closely fought contest for the Osun governorship.