OSOGBO — Early results from the Osun State governorship election have begun to emerge as counting and collation continue across the state, with Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party taking an early lead in the emerging statewide tally.
Voting ended at polling units across Osun on Saturday, with presiding officers moving into the sorting, counting and recording stages of the electoral process.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has continued uploading polling-unit results to its Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
As of about 9:42pm, 3,292 of the 3,763 expected polling-unit results had been uploaded, representing 87.48 per cent of the total.
The latest upload was recorded at 8:48pm from a polling unit in Ife North Local Government Area, as collation continued across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The figure represents a significant increase from the 1,340 results reported on the IReV portal at about 5:19pm.
An early collation report put Adeleke at 177,572 votes at that stage, although the figures remain subject to additional uploads and the official collation process.
The election pits incumbent Governor Adeleke against the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, alongside candidates of other parties.
Results from individual polling units have produced mixed outcomes.
At Ward 4, Unit 39 in Osogbo Local Government Area, Accord polled 65 votes while APC scored 43 and ADC recorded two votes.
At Ward 4, Unit 13 in the same local government, Accord secured 134 votes against APC’s 75, with ADC scoring four.
The APC has also recorded victories in some polling units, including areas of Osogbo, indicating that the contest remains competitive as results continue to arrive.
Adeleke had earlier expressed confidence in retaining his seat after casting his ballot at Ward 02, Polling Unit 009, Abogunde Compound, Ede North Local Government Area.
Oyebamiji, who voted at Ward 09, Unit 011, in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, also told journalists that he was confident of victory.
The ADC candidate, Salaam, however, raised concerns over the alleged non-recognition of some of his party agents at several locations during the election.
The Osun contest has attracted significant attention ahead of the 2027 general elections, with about 2.34 million registered voters spread across 30 local government areas and 3,763 polling units.
The IReV portal has provided parties, observers and members of the public with access to polling-unit result sheets as they are uploaded.
However, the emerging figures do not constitute the final result. The statutory collation process must be completed before INEC declares the winner.
With more results still expected, attention is now firmly on the remaining polling units and the final collation that will determine whether Adeleke secures another term or Oyebamiji produces an upset for the APC.
