Osun Election Update: Adeleke Ahead in Initial Count with 177,572 Votes as Tally Continues

Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, has taken the lead in the governorship election results in Osun State, which were collated from Saturday's polls.

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According to the Nigeria Elections Intelligence System, results from 303 out of 332 wards indicate that Adeleke has secured 177,572 votes, accounting for 50.5 per cent of the total, surpassing his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 158,588 votes, representing 45.1 per cent.

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Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress trails behind with 5,917 votes, as collation efforts continue across the state's 30 local government areas, with these figures available at the time of reporting.

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A review of the collation data reveals that out of 845,100 registered voters in Osun State, 361,500 were accredited, resulting in a voter turnout of 42.8 per cent, with 351,500 valid votes recorded and 7,200 ballots rejected.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported that 43.41 per cent of polling units have submitted their results as the collation process nears its final stages.

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Prior to the election, Adeleke, who is seeking re-election, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Accord Party, after INEC cleared 14 political parties to participate, following the PDP and Labour Party's failure to field candidates.

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Adeleke's running mate is Kola Adenusi, while his opponent, Bola Oyebamiji, a former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), is paired with Benjamin Adereti as his deputy.

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The official results are expected to be announced by INEC's Returning Officer at the state collation centre once all remaining wards have submitted their results.