Incumbent Osun State Governor and Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has taken the lead in 19 of the 30 local government areas announced so far in the state governorship election, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, leads in 11 LGAs.
The results were presented at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre in Osogbo as the commission continued the collation of results from Saturday’s governorship election.
Adeleke and Oyebamiji emerged as the dominant contenders in the election, with the incumbent governor maintaining an early advantage across several local government areas.
Among the LGAs won by Adeleke are Ede North, Osogbo, Ede South, Iwo, Ife East, Ife Central, Ifelodun, Oriade, Egbedore, Odo Otin, Ilesa West, Ila, Ayedaade, Ife North, Orolu, Boluwaduro and Ayedire.
Adeleke recorded some of his strongest margins in Ede North, where he polled 35,427 votes against Oyebamiji’s 10,283; Osogbo, where he scored 36,480 votes against 30,474; and Ede South, where he secured 26,188 votes against 6,219.
In Iwo, Adeleke polled 27,085 votes against Oyebamiji’s 19,660, while he recorded 27,201 votes against 18,600 in Ife East.
The contest was particularly close in Boluwaduro, where Adeleke narrowly defeated Oyebamiji with 7,118 votes to 7,050.
Oyebamiji, however, secured victories in 11 local government areas, including Ilesa East, Boripe, Irepodun, Obokun, Atakumosa West, Irewole, Atakumosa East, Isokan, Olaoluwa, Ife South and Olorunda.
The APC candidate recorded 16,208 votes in Ilesa East against Adeleke’s 12,280, while he won Boripe with 19,963 votes to Adeleke’s 12,448. In Irepodun, Oyebamiji polled 15,713 votes against 14,504, while he secured 16,120 votes in Obokun against Adeleke’s 12,023.
Although results from all 30 local government areas have been announced, INEC had yet to formally declare the winner at the latest stage of collation.
The state Returning Officer, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, is expected to make the final declaration after the completion of the collation exercise.
The final declaration will determine whether Adeleke secures another term as governor of Osun State or whether Oyebamiji can overturn the incumbent’s lead in the final state-wide tally.
