By Nwafor Sunday, Online News Editor Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the 2026 Osun State governorship election was driven by a combination of strong performances in his traditional strongholds, decisive victories in key local government areas and an ability to accumulate large vote margins that the All Progressives Congress (APC) could not overturn. The results from the 30 local government areas collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, in 19 local government areas, while the APC won 11. The African Democratic Congress (ADC), whose candidate was Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third in the three-party contest. The final figures for the three leading parties showed Accord polling 511,067 votes, against 444,815 votes for APC, while ADC recorded 17,180 votes. The figures gave Adeleke a 66,252-vote lead over his closest challenger. But beyond the numbers, Adeleke’s victory also reflected the confidence with which he entered the contest, having repeatedly dismissed concerns over the perceived political weight behind the APC campaign. Days before the election, the governor described himself as a “bulldozer”, declaring that he was not intimidated by what he characterised as federal might or the support of some governors for his opponent. ‘I am a bulldozer’ Speaking on Tuesday at the Arise Townhall Meeting, Adeleke said he was prepared to confront the political machinery backing the APC candidate. He said he was not afraid of the governors supporting Oyebamiji and challenged them to bring their full political weight into the contest. “I am a bulldozer. I am talk and do. I am not afraid of federal might and governors backing the APC candidate. If they like, they should bring all the governors,” Adeleke said. The declaration became a defining statement of the governor’s campaign as he sought to convince voters that the election would ultimately be decided by the people of Osun rather than the influence of political heavyweights outside the state. The results suggest that Adeleke was able to translate that confidence into a strong electoral performance. The mathematics of Adeleke’s victory The most revealing feature of the election was not simply the number of local governments won by each candidate, but the size of the margins recorded in their respective strongholds. Adeleke won 19 LGAs, while Oyebamiji carried 11. But some of Adeleke’s victories were particularly large, creating a substantial cushion that APC struggled to erase with its own victories. The clearest example came from the Ede axis. Ede delivered a huge advantage In Ede-North, Accord scored 35,427 votes, while APC recorded 10,283. That gave Adeleke a margin of 25,144 votes in one local government. The result in Ede-South was equally significant. Accord polled 26,188 votes, compared with APC’s 6,219, giving the governor another 19,969-vote advantage. Combined, the two Ede councils gave Accord 61,615 votes, against APC’s 16,502. That amounted to a 45,113-vote net advantage for Adeleke from just two LGAs. It was a margin that would prove difficult for APC to neutralise elsewhere. Osogbo adds to Adeleke’s advantage The state capital also contributed significantly to Adeleke’s performance. In Osogbo Local Government Area, Accord secured 36,480 votes, while APC polled 30,474. Adeleke therefore won the council by 6,006 votes. The ADC scored 1,503 votes in Osogbo, its strongest performance among the 30 LGAs covered by the supplied results. Osogbo was important not only because of its political significance but also because the result demonstrated Adeleke’s ability to remain competitive in an urban centre where APC also had considerable support. Adeleke dominates the Ife axis The Ife area was another important component of the governor’s victory. Accord won Ife-East, polling 27,201 votes against APC’s 18,600, a margin of 8,601 votes. In Ife-Central, Adeleke secured 21,171 votes, while APC recorded 15,913, giving Accord a further 5,258-vote advantage. Accord also won Ife-North, where it scored 13,879 votes against APC’s 9,613, a margin of 4,266 votes. APC, however, secured Ife-South, polling 14,678 votes against Accord’s 13,507, a margin of 1,171 votes. Overall, the four Ife councils produced 75,758 votes for Accord and 58,804 for APC, giving Adeleke a combined ad
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