Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has congratulated his Osun State counterpart, Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election, saying the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election reflected the will of the people.
Makinde described Adeleke as his “brother” and said his victory followed what he called a long and arduous political journey.
“Hearty congratulations to my brother, His Excellency Ademola @AAdeleke_01 on his reelection 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 wrote on his verified X account on Sunday.
The message came shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Adeleke the winner of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.
The result gave Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes. He won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11.
The victory gives Adeleke another four years in office and represents a significant political achievement after he switched platforms ahead of the election.
The governor left the Peoples Democratic Party in late 2025 amid the party’s prolonged internal crisis and joined Accord, where he subsequently secured the platform’s ticket to seek a second term.
His political realignment was followed by a series of defections involving prominent lawmakers.
In February, Speaker Adewale Egbedun and 24 other members of the Osun State House of Assembly left the PDP for Accord. The move effectively left the 26-member Assembly with only one APC lawmaker in the opposition.
Six Osun members of the House of Representatives elected on the PDP platform also joined Accord in March, openly backing Adeleke’s re-election campaign.
The political movement around Adeleke became one of the defining features of the election, as Accord sought to consolidate its structures against the APC challenge.
Makinde also praised Osun voters for participating in the election and exercising their democratic rights.
In a separate statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the Oyo governor said Adeleke’s victory was a reward for his commitment to good governance and service to the people.
He urged Adeleke to treat the re-election as an encouragement to deliver more development across Osun State.
Makinde also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for conducting the poll, describing the election as an important test ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He urged the electoral body to build on the experience and ensure Nigerians continue to have confidence in the electoral process.
Makinde’s reaction comes as political parties and opposition figures begin to assess the implications of the Osun result ahead of 2027.
For Adeleke, the victory ends months of intense campaigning and political realignment. The challenge now shifts from winning the election to meeting the expectations of voters who have handed him another four-year mandate.
