By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has strengthened his position in the Osun State governorship election, opening a 42,228-vote lead over All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji after results from 15 local government areas were announced early Sunday.
The figures announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from the 15 LGAs give Adeleke 258,613 votes, while Oyebamiji has 216,385 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, trails with 7,248 votes.
The latest tally means Adeleke has secured 42,228 more votes than Oyebamiji across the 15 LGAs represented in the results.
Adeleke’s lead has been built on particularly strong performances in Ede South, Ife East, Oriade, Ife Central and Osogbo.
In Ede South, Adeleke recorded 26,188 votes against Oyebamiji’s 6,219, giving the Accord candidate a margin of 19,969 votes. In Ife East, Adeleke polled 27,201 votes to Oyebamiji’s 18,600, while in Oriade he secured 21,343 votes against the APC candidate’s 14,863.
Adeleke also posted a commanding result in Osogbo, where he received 36,480 votes, compared with Oyebamiji’s 30,474, a margin of 6,006 votes.
The governor further dominated Ife Central, polling 21,171 votes against 15,913 for Oyebamiji, while he led in Ife North, Ilesha West, Ifedayo, Boluwaduro, Orolu and Odo Otin.
Oyebamiji, however, demonstrated considerable strength in several areas, winning Ilesha East, Boripe, Irepodun and Obokun.
His strongest margin came in Boripe, where he polled 19,963 votes against Adeleke’s 12,448, giving him a 7,515-vote advantage. He also won Obokun by 4,097 votes and Ilesha East by 3,928.
Despite those victories, Oyebamiji’s gains were insufficient to offset Adeleke’s larger margins in several other LGAs, leaving the incumbent with a substantial advantage at this stage of the collation.
The figures also show the ADC remaining a distant third, although its strongest showing among the 15 LGAs came in Osogbo, where it secured 1,503 votes.
With results from another 15 LGAs still outstanding, the election remains formally undecided.
