Osun Election: INEC Presents Certificate Of Return To Governor Adeleke

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State with his Certificate of Return following his victory in the August 15, 2026 governorship election.

According to Ireporter Online, the certificate was presented to Adeleke on Wednesday by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, at the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo.

The presentation took place shortly after Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi also received his Certificate of Return.

Speaking at the ceremony, Babalola said the certificates were issued in accordance with the relevant electoral laws and represented the mandate given to Adeleke and Adewusi by the people of Osun State.

She commended various stakeholders for their contributions to the successful conduct of the election, including security agencies, civil society organisations, the media and traditional institutions.

The REC also applauded Osun voters for participating in the election and disclosed that the poll recorded a voter turnout of 43.2 per cent.

While congratulating Adeleke on his victory, Babalola urged him to demonstrate humility and magnanimity in victory as he begins his renewed tenure.

Also speaking at the event, INEC National Supervising Commissioner for Osun State, Professor Kunle Ajayi, described the presentation as an important moment for democracy and the people of the state.

Ajayi congratulated Adeleke and commended voters for turning out to exercise their franchise despite tensions and reported incidents of violence recorded before the election.

He stressed that the electoral commission’s presence in Osun was to uphold democratic principles and ensure a credible process rather than favour any candidate or political party.

INEC had earlier declared Adeleke the winner of the keenly contested election, with the governor securing victory in 19 local government areas, while his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won 11.

African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam finished third in the election.

The final results announced by INEC showed that Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji secured 444,815 votes, giving the incumbent governor a winning margin of 66,252 votes.