Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has secured more votes than the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polling unit where former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola cast his ballot during the Osun Election 2026 on Saturday, August 15. The result from Oyetola’s polling location in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area, emerged as one of the notable early developments in the closely contested governorship election.
Oyetola, now Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, voted at Ward 1, Unit 10, in Iragbiji alongside his wife, Kafayat Oyetola. He previously governed Osun between 2018 and 2022 before losing his re-election bid to Adeleke in the 2022 governorship election.
The result is politically significant because Boripe has traditionally been a strong area for the APC. In the 2022 governorship election, the APC recorded a commanding victory across the local government, defeating Adeleke’s then-PDP ticket by a wide margin.
However, the polling-unit result should not be interpreted as evidence that Adeleke has won the Osun governorship election. The final outcome depends on results from all polling units and the formal collation and declaration process by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The result from Oyetola’s polling location attracted attention because of the political history between the two men.
Oyetola and Adeleke faced each other directly in the 2022 Osun governorship election, when Adeleke defeated the incumbent APC candidate to become governor. Four years later, Oyetola is no longer the APC candidate but remains an influential figure in the party and serves in the Federal Executive Council.
For the 2026 election, the APC is represented by Bola Oyebamiji, while Adeleke is seeking another term on the Accord platform.
The early result from Oyetola’s unit therefore provides a notable snapshot of changing voter preferences in an area historically associated with the APC.
The development is significant for several reasons:
- Oyetola remains a prominent APC figure in Osun politics.
- Boripe has traditionally been a stronghold for the APC.
- Adeleke is seeking re-election on the Accord platform.
- The 2026 contest has attracted close scrutiny ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
- Polling-unit results provide an early indication of local voting patterns but do not determine the statewide winner.
The result is particularly noteworthy against the historical voting pattern of Boripe Local Government Area.
In 2022, the APC won Boripe decisively, recording 21,205 votes against 7,595 for the PDP. That margin made the local government one of Oyetola’s strongest areas during the previous governorship contest.
The 2026 result from Oyetola’s own polling unit could therefore attract additional attention as more results emerge from Boripe and other parts of Osun.
However, a single polling unit represents only a small portion of the electorate. Voters across the state’s 30 local government areas will ultimately determine the outcome.
The broader result will depend on whether the voting pattern seen at Oyetola’s unit is repeated elsewhere or proves to be an isolated result.
The result emerged as INEC continued uploading polling-unit results to its Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
By the evening of August 15, more than 3,000 polling-unit result sheets had reportedly been uploaded from the 3,763 expected across Osun, providing stakeholders with an expanding picture of the election.
The electronic publication of results gives political parties, observers and members of the public an opportunity to scrutinise polling-unit figures as the formal collation process progresses.
Important indicators to monitor include:
- Results from Adeleke’s traditional strongholds.
- APC performance in northern and eastern Osun.
- Results from Boripe and other historically competitive LGAs.
- The performance of the ADC and other opposition parties.
- Any disputed or cancelled polling-unit results.
- The eventual state-level collation by INEC.
Despite the significance of Adeleke’s performance at Oyetola’s polling unit, it would be premature to declare a statewide winner based on isolated polling-unit results.
The Osun governorship election is determined by the aggregate of valid votes across the state. INEC must complete the required collation before announcing the final result.
This distinction is particularly important during election-night reporting, when individual polling-unit results can quickly circulate online without the wider geographical context.
The result at Oyetola’s unit is therefore best viewed as an early indicator of voting behaviour rather than a definitive statement about the overall outcome.
Attention will now shift to the continuing release and collation of results from across Osun.
INEC is expected to continue processing polling-unit results before completing the collation process at the appropriate levels.
The key developments to watch are:
- More polling-unit results appearing on IReV.
- Collation of results at ward and local government levels.
- Party responses to disputed results.
- Verification of results from areas affected by election-day incidents.
- The final statewide declaration by INEC.
The outcome will determine whether Adeleke secures another term or whether the APC, ADC or another participating party takes control of the Osun Government House.
Adeleke’s victory at the polling unit where former Governor Oyetola voted has emerged as one of the most closely watched early results from the Osun Election 2026.
Its importance lies partly in the political symbolism and partly in the fact that the unit is located in Boripe, an area where the APC performed strongly in 2022.
Nevertheless, the result alone cannot establish the winner of the governorship election. With thousands of polling-unit results still being processed and collated, the definitive outcome will only become clear after INEC completes the official process.
For now, Adeleke’s performance in Oyetola’s unit offers an early glimpse into a potentially shifting electoral landscape in Osun.
