Osun Decides: Adeleke, Oyebamiji, Salaam in high-stakes fight for power

Osun State goes to the polls on Saturday, August 15, in a governorship election shaped by four years of legal battles, political defections, local government disputes and growing concerns over security.

At the heart of the contest are incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji and former Osun House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The election is rooted in the fierce 2022 contest between Adeleke and then-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. Adeleke won that election with 403,371 votes against Oyetola’s 375,027, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But the result was far from final. The Osun Governorship Election Petition Tribunal overturned Adeleke’s victory in January 2023 and declared Oyetola the winner. The Court of Appeal later reversed the decision, before the Supreme Court on May 9, 2023, affirmed Adeleke’s victory.

Adeleke, seeking a second term, has abandoned the PDP platform on which he won in 2022 and joined Accord. His defection was followed by 25 PDP lawmakers in the Osun Assembly moving to Accord in February 2026, strengthening the governor’s political machinery ahead of the election.

Oyetola, meanwhile, is no longer a direct contender. Now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, he has thrown his weight behind Oyebamiji, a former Osun Commissioner for Finance and former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority.

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Oyebamiji emerged as the APC candidate after eight aspirants agreed to a consensus arrangement and was subsequently affirmed by 1,660 delegates from the state’s 332 wards.

But the APC faces a third force in Salaam, whose emergence under the ADC adds another dimension to the contest. The former Speaker secured 520 of 528 valid votes at his party’s primary and has campaigned on governance, development and efforts to address Osun’s electricity challenges.

A Contest Shaped by Local Government Disputes

Beyond the candidates, the election is being fought against the backdrop of a lingering local government crisis.

The February 2025 local government election, won by the PDP across the state, was rejected by the APC, which maintained that earlier elected APC council officials had been restored through court decisions.

The resulting competing claims to the 30 local government areas intensified political tensions and became intertwined with the governorship campaign.

The crisis has also been accompanied by reports of clashes among supporters, adding to concerns about the potential for election-related violence.

Security Becomes a Major Test

Security is perhaps the biggest concern as voters prepare to cast their ballots

Campaigns have been marked by allegations of attacks, destruction of political billboards and disputed claims of assassination attempts. While some incidents have triggered police investigations, several allegations remain contested by rival political camps.

The neutrality of the police command itself became a subject of controversy, with civil society and student groups demanding the removal of Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan. Other groups subsequently held a solidarity rally in his support.

Authorities have responded with a massive security deployment. The police have deployed 15,000 personnel, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has announced 10,210 operatives.

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The Nigerian Army is also supporting the operation under Operation SAFE CONDUCT, while the EFCC and ICPC have personnel in the state as part of election preparations.

INEC and the Final Countdown

INEC has deployed 3,763 BVAS devices for the state’s 3,763 polling units, with another 664 devices available as backups.

The commission has promised to enforce the Electoral Act and its guidelines without favouring any political party.

Civil society organisations have also intensified monitoring and voter education. The Kimpact Development Initiative reported 44 election-related violent incidents between October 2025 and June 2026, resulting in 13 deaths.

Organisations including Yiaga Africa, the Kukah Centre, TAF Africa, the International Press Centre and the Centre for Media and Society have similarly focused on peaceful participation, election observation, inclusion and electoral integrity.

What Is at Stake?

Saturday’s election is ultimately a test of competing political structures.

For Adeleke, it is an opportunity to secure a second term despite changing political platforms. For Oyebamiji, it is a chance for the APC to reclaim a state it lost in 2022, with Oyetola’s political influence behind the campaign.

For Salaam, the election represents an opportunity to challenge the dominance of the two major political forces.

After years of courtroom battles, defections, institutional disputes and political confrontation, Osun voters now have the final say.

The outcome will determine not only who occupies the Osun Government House for the next four years, but also which political force emerges with the stronger hand in the state’s rapidly changing political landscape.