The Osun State governorship election has produced a number of notable winners beyond Governor Ademola Adeleke, whose victory against the odds has reshaped the political landscape of the state. From his dramatic emergence under the Accord Party to the role played by his nephew, Afrobeats star Davido, and the support he received from influential traditional rulers, the election has highlighted the strength of Adeleke’s political base and the changing dynamics of Osun politics.

DAVIDO

Adeleke’s nephew and Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, is also a major winner.

Apart from openly campaigning for his uncle, Davido took on the governor’s opponents, including President Tinubu, governors and APC social media influencers.

On the eve of the election, he was away in London for a show and was billed to return on election day to vote. He later alleged that soldiers were planning to prevent him from entering Osun State ahead of the governorship election.

Davido made the claim in a post shared on his official X handle on Saturday, August 15, 2026.

The singer said he had been informed that soldiers were trying to stop him from entering the state, adding, “this won’t happen.”

“I’ve been reliably informed that soldiers are trying to prevent me from entering Osun tomorrow (Saturday), this won’t happen.

“Every citizen of Nigeria has the right to movement at any point in time,” Davido wrote.

Despite his absence, Davido remained visible on social media, constantly calling out INEC and security agents and encouraging voters to stand by their votes to avoid manipulation.

When INEC halted the uploading of results on the IReV platform for about two hours last night, he called the commission out.

In a series of posts on his X handle, Davido urged the commission to upload the outstanding results without further delay.

Davido had earlier questioned the delay in uploading results to the IReV portal before the commission commenced the process.

“INEC, it is now 2:33 p.m., yet no result has been uploaded to the IReV portal. What is the delay? Nigerians deserve transparency and timely updates,” he wrote.

He al”o urged voters to remain at their polling units until their results were uploaded to the IReV portal and to ensure that the figures were entered on the electronic EC8A result form.

While some netizens applauded Davido for standing by his uncle, others asked him to sustain the same energy during the next election.

“#Davido may not be in Osun today, but he moved the whole world for his uncle! Adeleke na big name!!” Tersoo Adorowa (@king_tersoo) posted on his X handle.

OLAJENGBESI

Pelumi Olajengbesi, a lawyer, is the official spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council. He is also Accord Party candidate for the Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2027 general election in Osun State.

He was one of the campaign’s most visible public voices, defending Adeleke, attacking APC campaign arguments and communicating the campaign’s positions to the media.

During the campaign he repeatedly responded to APC accusations and controversies, including disputes over security, arrests and alleged political violence. In the final days, he called for a peaceful and impartial election and sought security assurances from the police.

He has described Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the Osun State governorship election as “the Lord’s doing” and a manifestation of the will of the people.

Olajengbesi, who spoke shortly after the declaration of the results, said the outcome demonstrated that Adeleke remained the preferred choice of the people of Osun State.

“I am super excited. This is the Lord’s doing. This is the manifestation of God’s hand. This is the will of the people of Osun State,” he said.

According to him, the election had affirmed Adeleke’s performance in office and secured a renewed mandate from the electorate.

“I am glad because this election has clearly shown that Governor Ademola Adeleke is the man of the people. This election has justified that Mr Governor has performed very well. The people of Osun State have renewed the mandate by supporting him as the Governor of Osun State,” Olajengbesi said.

ACCORD PARTY

With Adeleke’s victory, the Accord Party has just won its first governorship seat in Nigeria. Accord emerged as a registered Nigerian political party in the 2000s. It became nationally more visible around the 2011 general elections, when former Oyo State governor, now Olubadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, left the PDP and joined Accord to contest the Oyo governorship.

Ladoja was Accord Party’s governorship candidate in the 2011 and 2015 elections but lost on both occasions.

In 2017, Ladoja defected from Accord to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and confirmed his defection. In his goodwill message, Ladoja said the state must retrace its steps from its mistakes to regain dominance of the Southwest.

“Once upon a time, this great party reigned in five states of the Southwest, but because of our mistakes we lost four, remaining only Ekiti.

“We have decided to come together now and regain all those lost states, starting with Osun in 2018 up to the general election in 2019,” he said.

Despite losing the governorship, Accord performed quite well in the Oyo House of Assembly election in 2015, winning about eight seats.

Adebukola Ajaja, elected on the platform of Accord Party, represented the Ibadan North East/Ibadan South East constituency in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015.

Senator Olufemi Lanlehin was elected as the senator representing the Oyo South Senatorial District in 2011 under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria.

In 2014, Lanlehin joined the Accord Party (AP). In the 2015 general elections, he sought re-election as the senator for the Oyo South Senatorial District under the Accord Party but lost to Senator Adesoji Akanbi of the All Progressives Congress.

In 2015, the party produced a House of Representatives member, Dauda Kako-Are (Mushin I Constituency), in Lagos State, defeating the incumbent APC candidate.

Despite this, the Accord Party had never won a presidential election or controlled a state government through an Accord candidate.

In the build-up to the Osun State election, Governor Ademola Adeleke defected to the party following the crisis in the PDP.

About six serving House of Representatives members followed him to the new party, as did members of the State House of Assembly.

Senator Lere Oyewunmi, representing Osun West, also joined Adeleke in the Accord Party.

In the result of Saturday’s poll announced by INEC, the Accord Party was declared the winner, producing the first elected governor in Nigeria on its platform. As for Ladoja, who has quit partisan politics, the history of the party is incomplete without mentioning his role.

TIMI OF EDE

Oba Munirudeen Lawal, the Timi of Ede, Adeleke’s hometown, is one of the few monarchs who stuck his neck out for the governor’s re-election.

He openly urged his subjects and residents of Osun State to vote massively for Adeleke, while appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure a free and fair electoral process.

Addressing residents, traditional leaders and dignitaries at an event, Oba Lawal urged voters to exercise their rights according to their conscience, expressing confidence that the Accord Party would emerge victorious in the election.

“We are using this opportunity to appeal to President Bola Tinubu not to rig the governorship election. He should leave us alone and allow each of us to vote where we so desire,” the monarch said.

Timi also recounted an encounter with Oyebamiji at a social gathering in Offa, Kwara State, where he alleged that songs rendered by some supporters were offensive to the people of Ede.

Oba Lawal said he was displeased by the incident and subsequently prayed over the matter.

Reacting to claims that he deliberately avoided receiving APC leaders during a visit to Ede, the monarch dismissed the allegation, explaining that he was outside the town at the time.

ATAOJA OF OSOGBO

The Ataoja of Osogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, also minced no words in throwing his weight behind Adeleke.

He cited the governor’s developmental projects in the town, including infrastructure such as the Lameco flyover.

At a commissioning event, he stated that if he were a politician, he would have asked all Osogbo people to vote for Adeleke en masse.

Addressing the gathering in Yoruba, the monarch expressed gratitude to the governor and declared that the people of Osogbo would appreciate his contributions.

“If I were a politician, I would mobilise Osogbo people to vote massively for you because you have done so much for our town. We remain grateful for your commitment to our development,” the royal father said.

The monarch also revealed that despite pressure from some quarters to refrain from supporting developmental initiatives, he remained committed to advocating for the progress of Osogbo. (Daily Trust)

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