By Nduka Orjinmo | Updated on Aug 16, 2026 at 01:43 PM
A governor in Nigeria’s southwestern Osun state fended off a challenge from the ruling party to secure another four-year term, giving the fractured opposition a morale-boosting victory ahead of national elections in January.
Ademola Adeleke of the Accord party won 52% of the votes to defeat the national ruling party’s Bola Oyebamiji, who polled at 45%, according to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday.
The election was seen as a test for the opposition ahead of presidential and national legislative elections on Jan. 16, where President Bola Tinubu is seeking another four-year term.
Since coming into office in 2023, Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress has seen its ranks expanded by the defection of several opposition governors. That has tightened his grip on power and weakened the challenge of his leadership in Africa’s most populous nation. Victory in Osun state would have handed the APC control of another opposition stronghold in Tinubu’s home region, boosting its momentum ahead of the national elections.
However, Adeleke’s 511,067 votes is unlikely to benefit the opposition in the presidential poll, where he’s backing Tinubu’s reelection bid.
The poor showing of the African Democratic Congress, whose candidate polled 1.7% of the votes, will also be a concern for the party of Atiku Abubakar. The former vice-president is one of two main challengers against Tinubu in 2027. The other opposition party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress backed by Peter Obi, the second runner-up in the last presidential election, did not feature in the Osun poll.
The APC’s Oyebamiji got 444,815 while the ADC’s Najeem Salaam got 17,180.