Osun State will go to the polls on Saturday, August 15, 2026, in a closely watched governorship election that has become one of Nigeria’s most politically significant contests of the year.
The election is attracting attention beyond Osun because it brings together an incumbent governor who changed political parties, a strengthened opposition, a third major contender and a political environment shaped by court battles, defections, allegations of violence and intense competition.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, who won the 2022 election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is seeking a second term on the platform of the Accord Party.
His main challenger is Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam, is contesting under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The contest comes four years after Adeleke defeated then-incumbent APC governor Adegboyega Oyetola in the 2022 election.
According to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Adeleke secured 403,371 votes against Oyetola’s 375,027.
The result was subsequently challenged in court, beginning a legal battle that lasted several months.
In January 2023, the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal overturned Adeleke’s victory and declared Oyetola the winner.
Adeleke rejected the ruling and appealed.
The Court of Appeal later reversed the tribunal’s decision and restored Adeleke’s victory. Oyetola subsequently approached the Supreme Court, but the apex court on May 9, 2023, affirmed Adeleke’s election.
The legal battle ended with Adeleke remaining governor, but the political rivalry between the two camps continued.
Oyetola later became Minister of Marine and Blue Economy under President Bola Tinubu, while his political network remained influential in Osun.
For the 2026 election, Oyetola chose not to contest and instead backed Oyebamiji as the APC candidate.
Oyebamiji emerged after extensive negotiations within the APC. Eight aspirants had earlier met with President Tinubu and agreed to work towards a consensus candidate.
The APC eventually affirmed Oyebamiji as its candidate at a primary in Osogbo involving 1,660 delegates from the state’s 332 wards.
His campaign has focused on issues including poverty reduction, education, healthcare and economic development.
Adeleke, meanwhile, has entered the election with the advantage of incumbency but under a different political platform from the one that brought him to office.
His resignation from the PDP in December 2025 and subsequent move to Accord significantly altered Osun’s political calculations.
The move was followed in February 2026 by the defection of 25 members of the Osun State House of Assembly who were elected on the PDP platform to Accord.
The development gave Adeleke a stronger political structure but also created a new contest over the traditional party alignments in the state.
The ADC has added another dimension to the election.
Salaam, a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly and political ally of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, emerged as the ADC candidate after securing 520 valid votes from 528 accredited delegates at the party’s primary.
His campaign has focused on governance and development, including efforts to address electricity challenges and attract investment.
Local government crisis
One of the most important issues shaping the election has been the prolonged dispute over local government administration.
The disagreement originated from the controversial local government election conducted in 2022 and later became a major confrontation between the APC and PDP-controlled state government.
The APC argued that its previously elected council officials had been restored by court decisions and should return to office.
The PDP government maintained that the earlier election had been nullified and that vacancies existed across the state’s 30 local government areas.
A new local government election was eventually conducted in February 2025, despite the APC’s withdrawal.
The PDP won the chairmanship and councillorship positions, according to the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission.
However, the result did not end the dispute.
Competing groups continued to claim legitimacy, creating tension around council secretariats and raising concerns about the political control of local government structures.
The crisis became part of the wider political struggle ahead of the governorship election.
Security concerns
Security has also become a major issue.
Political clashes, disputes over campaign activities and reported violence have raised concerns about the safety of voters, election officials, journalists and observers.
In June, civil society groups and other organisations protested against Osun Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan, questioning the handling of political violence and demanding his removal.
Other groups later organised a solidarity demonstration in support of the commissioner.
The conflicting positions reflected the political divisions surrounding the election.
Police authorities have repeatedly called on political parties and their supporters to avoid violence.
The Nigeria Police Force has deployed 15,000 personnel across Osun for the election, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has announced the deployment of more than 10,000 personnel.
The military is also participating in the security arrangement under Operation SAFE CONDUCT.
Security agencies have been instructed to maintain political neutrality and protect voters, electoral officials and critical infrastructure.
Election preparations
INEC has continued preparations for the election despite the political tension.
The commission has provided 3,763 BVAS devices for the state’s 3,763 polling units, with an additional 664 devices available as backups.
The technology will be used for voter accreditation and the electronic transmission of polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
INEC has also accredited election observers and continued engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
The commission has repeatedly promised to enforce the Electoral Act and electoral guidelines without favouring any political party.
Violence monitoring
Civil society organisations have warned that political violence remains one of the biggest threats to the credibility of the election.
Kimpact Development Initiative reported 44 election-related violent incidents between October 2025 and June 2026, resulting in 13 fatalities, alongside injuries and property destruction.
Other organisations, including Yiaga Africa, the Kukah Centre, the International Press Centre and the Centre for Media and Society, have been involved in voter education, election monitoring and peace-building activities.
The organisations have urged political actors to prioritise peaceful participation and respect the rights of voters.
The election has also drawn attention to the participation of marginalised groups.
TAF Africa trained 150 persons with disabilities as election observers under its Able2Vote initiative, highlighting efforts to make the electoral process more inclusive.
A crucial test
The Osun election is therefore about more than choosing a governor.
It is a test of whether political competition in Nigeria can remain peaceful despite deep divisions, legal disputes and intense rivalry.
Adeleke is seeking to retain power after changing parties. The APC is attempting to return to government with Oyebamiji, backed by the political influence of Oyetola and the wider national structure of the party.
The ADC, meanwhile, hopes Salaam can attract voters who want an alternative to the two dominant political forces.
The outcome will provide an important indication of the political mood in Osun and could influence wider calculations ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
For international observers, the central question will be whether voters can freely exercise their democratic choice without intimidation or violence.
As polling day approaches, attention is now firmly fixed on Osun, where the ballot box will determine which political force controls the state for the next four years.
