Provisional results uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed Adeleke ahead with 105,083 votes, representing 55.1 per cent, while Oyebamiji had 73,007 votes, or 38.3 per cent.
The African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, was in third position with 3,309 votes, representing 1.7 per cent.
Other candidates trailed considerably. Adefemi Adesuyi of the Zenith Labour Party polled 1,876 votes, Olanrewaju Farinloye of the Action Alliance secured 1,866, while Adesina Adeyemi-Doro of the All Progressives Grand Alliance recorded 1,591 votes.
The figures remained provisional as collation continued across the state’s 30 local government areas.
As of the latest update, INEC had uploaded results from 2,986 of the 3,763 polling units, representing 79.38 per cent of the total number of polling units in the election.
The election featured 15 political parties, although the contest has largely centred on Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Salaam.
Adeleke Wins Several Key Polling Units
The early advantage enjoyed by Adeleke was reflected in a number of polling-unit results uploaded to the IReV portal.
At Polling Unit 003, Ife Ward 1, Moore, St Gabriel Primary School, Ife East Local Government Area, the polling unit associated with former Osun Deputy Governor and former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, the Accord Party polled 131 votes, defeating APC, which scored 85.
The ADC recorded 10 votes, while the other parties secured marginal figures.
Accord also won at the polling unit of former Osun Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
There, Accord secured 125 votes, while APC polled 85 and ADC five.
The result came despite Oyinlola’s recent endorsement of Oyebamiji, rather than the incumbent governor, for the governorship election.
The African Action Congress scored two votes, while the Social Democratic Party, Young Progressive Party and Zenith Labour Party each recorded one vote.
At Unit 13, Ward 4, Osogbo Local Government Area, Accord recorded 134 votes against APC’s 75, while ADC and other parties received one vote each.
At Unit 30, Ward 4, Osogbo, Accord polled 65 votes, APC 43 and ADC two.
In Oke Ola Orangun, Accord secured 99 votes to defeat APC’s 84, while ADC recorded three votes. APGA, AAC and ADP each received one vote.
The results were not uniformly in Adeleke’s favour.
In Ilesa East, Oyebamiji defeated the incumbent, polling 88 votes against Adeleke’s 51, while ADC scored five.
Accord also recorded 192 votes in Ifedayo Ayetoro, narrowly beating APC’s 186.
At Oke Ola, the margin was even tighter, with Accord securing 113 votes against APC’s 112. ADC had one vote.
In Obokun Local Government Area, Accord polled 211 votes against APC’s 178.
Adeleke’s party also recorded 81 votes in Ife Central, where APC had 28, while in Ikire Ile/Iwara, Accord secured 109 votes against APC’s 72.
Adeleke Raises Security Alarm
Earlier in the day, Adeleke raised an alarm over the alleged presence of a police officer identified only as “London”, whom he claimed had been brought from Port Harcourt to disrupt voting in Ede, his hometown.
Speaking after casting his ballot, the governor called on the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to pay attention to the allegation.
He said:
“As of now, voting is going well. However, I have received some information from my people in Osun State that there is a police officer called London from Port Harcourt who was brought to the state to destroy my town, Ede and disrupt the voting process.
“I am calling on the IGP and all security agencies to watch out for this police officer from Port Harcourt.
“I understand that the APC brought him to Osun State to carry out a hatchet job and cause disruption in my town, Ede, so that people will not be able to vote.
“I want the IGP, the Police Commissioner for the election, the DIG for the election, and all security agencies to take note and do the needful. I also urge all my people in Ede to be vigilant.”
Adeleke also alleged that there were plans to bypass the established process of moving results from polling units to wards and subsequently to local government areas.
He said:
“I also have it on good authority that they do not want to follow the normal process of moving from the polling units to the wards and then to the local governments. Instead, they want to take the process straight to the collation centre.
“This is not acceptable. They must follow the rules, and that is why I am alerting my people to watch out.”
Salaam Raises Alarm Over Agents
The ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, also raised concerns about the conduct of the election, alleging that some of his party agents were not recognised by INEC officials.
Salaam said the party had uploaded the names of its agents as required but that some were allegedly denied identification tags, particularly in Ward 5, Ejigbo.
He claimed similar problems occurred in about 10 local government areas.
He said:
“Even though we uploaded all the names of our party agents, especially here in Ejigbo, the agents in Ward 5 for the ADC were not given tags.
“The same thing happened in about 10 local governments across the state. I reported the matter to the relevant authorities, and they are looking into it.
“When the votes are being counted, my agents must be recognised at the polling units.
“Apart from that, in Ejigbo Local Government, the process has been going on without any crisis for now. I want to believe it will remain peaceful until the end of the exercise.
“As it stands, we cannot accept a situation where our party agents are not recognised. The importance of having party agents at the polling units cannot be overstated.
“All the names were uploaded onto the INEC platform, so I don’t understand why we are now being denied the opportunity to have our party agents present.
“Maybe towards the end of the election process, I will still address the press and let the people know how far we have gone with the matter. What I’m saying is part of the preparation on the side of INEC.
“When you requested that the parties upload the names of their agents, we did so. I don’t understand how or why the party agents would not be given tags.
“It is one part of the process. If, at the end of the day, we do not have this, then the process becomes very questionable. For now, I will remain silent on it until we get to the end of the whole exercise.
“If there is a fair election, with no rigging or manipulation, and there is a level playing field, I trust my God that I’m going to win the election.”
Alleged Attack Disrupts Voting
Tension reportedly rose at Polling Unit 13, Ward 4, Ejigbo, shortly after Salaam cast his vote.
The ADC candidate’s spokesperson, Abosede Busayo Oluwaseun, alleged that Salaam escaped an assassination attempt by suspected political thugs.
According to the spokesperson, the incident was allegedly led by a suspected APC thug identified as “Big Hammer.”
He claimed that residents quickly intervened and helped move Salaam away from the scene.
The statement said:
“Dr. Najeem Salaam, the ADC Governorship Candidate, escaped an alleged assassination attempt today at Ward 4, Unit 13, in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State, shortly after casting his vote.
“According to eyewitness accounts, the incident was allegedly led by a suspected APC thug identified as “Big Hammer.” Dr. Salaam was swiftly whisked away by concerned locals who acted quickly to prevent the situation from escalating.
“Had it not been for the timely intervention and intelligence of residents at the scene, what happened today could have resulted in yet another tragic loss of life.
“The incident also reportedly disrupted voting and was accompanied by alleged electoral irregularities, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the voting process in the affected area.
“This is unacceptable. Democracy must never become a battlefield, and no Nigerian should have to risk their life simply for exercising their constitutional right to vote.
“We call on the security agencies and relevant authorities to immediately investigate this incident, identify those responsible, and ensure the safety of all voters, party agents and candidates.
“Dr. Najeem Salaam is alive. He remains resolute in his bid to rescue Osun from the shackles of bad governance.”
The incident was also reported to have disrupted voting at the polling unit, with hoodlums allegedly destroying some INEC electoral materials and forcing voters to leave the area.
Salaam later described the incident as a deliberate attempt to attack him.
“There was a total disruption of the electoral process. The plan was to attack me. That was an attempt to attack me personally,” Salaam said.
He alleged that some elderly voters were forced to run for safety as the situation deteriorated.
Salaam further claimed that some security officials watched without intervening, although he said one suspect was eventually arrested.
The allegations had not been independently established at the time of filing.
BVAS Glitch Hits Elderly Voters
Despite the incidents reported in some locations, voting proceeded without major disruption in several parts of the state.
A technical problem, however, affected about six elderly voters at Ward 3, Unit 6, Ijebu-Jesa, in Oriade Local Government Area.
The BVAS reportedly failed to capture the faces of the voters during accreditation.
The Presiding Officer, Ogunsakin Femi, asked the affected voters to remain at the polling unit and attempt the process again.
One of them, 71-year-old Ajayi Omopariola, expressed frustration but said he was determined to vote.
“I am not happy about the delay, but I am ready to wait until I am accredited and allowed to vote,” Ajayi said.
Oyebamiji Calls For Calm
As the results began to emerge, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji appealed to his supporters to remain calm, vigilant and resolute.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page after voting ended, Oyebamiji thanked Osun residents for coming out to vote and expressed confidence in the efforts of his supporters.
He also commended INEC and the security agencies for what he described as professionalism in handling the election.
As collation began, he urged his supporters to remain peaceful and protect the integrity of the votes cast.
He said:
“As the collation of results begins, I urge all our supporters and the good people of Osun to remain calm, vigilant and resolute.
“Let us protect the sanctity of the votes cast by our people. Do not allow anyone, under any guise or through any means, to subvert the will of the people or undermine the mandate they have freely chosen to give us in today’s election.”
Oyebamiji also urged his supporters not to allow themselves to be provoked.
“We have come too far to allow our collective efforts to be compromised. Let us remain peaceful, watchful and confident as we await the final outcome. May the will of the people prevail.”
Gunmen Invade Osogbo Collation Centre
The tension surrounding the collation process deepened later in the night when hooded gunmen reportedly invaded the Ataoja D ward collation centre in Osogbo, the state capital.
The centre, located inside Union Baptist Primary School, covers several polling units in Ward 4.
The attackers reportedly arrived at about 9:45pm and fired sporadically into the air for approximately five minutes, apparently to scare away election officials and others at the venue.
The incident forced the collation exercise to stop temporarily.
The situation was later brought under control, but the identities and motives of the attackers were not immediately known. There was also no immediate confirmation of injuries.
APC Warns Against Fake Results
With unofficial figures circulating as the official collation continued, the Osun APC cautioned supporters of the Accord Party against what it described as the circulation of fake election results.
The party accused Accord supporters of attempting to assume the role of INEC by announcing results from various wards.
In a statement, APC spokesperson Kola Olabisi said:
“It is a statement of fact that INEC is the only corporate body constitutionally empowered to conduct and duly declare the results of the election, which translates to the fact that election results from other sources from the national election umpire could be described as an illegality.”
The party urged members of the public to be wary of what it described as misinformation, warning that such claims could heighten tension in the state.
It also called on the police to investigate those allegedly publishing false results on social media.
Final Result Still Pending
For now, the early figures put Adeleke ahead, with Oyebamiji maintaining a substantial second position and Salaam trailing in third.
But the race is not officially over.
Thousands of polling-unit results were still being processed or awaited as collation continued, while competing claims of irregularities, alleged attacks and the reported disruption at the Osogbo collation centre have added pressure on INEC and security agencies.
The next stage of the exercise will therefore be watched closely across Osun and beyond.
Ultimately, the credibility of the election will rest not on the early figures being circulated, but on whether INEC completes the collation transparently, accounts for every valid vote and declares a result that reflects the choice of the people of Osun State.
