#OsunDecides2026: Makinde congratulates Adeleke, says voters’ will prevailed

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Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has congratulated his Osun State counterpart, Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election, saying the outcome of the governorship election reflected the will of the people.

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Makinde, in a brief message posted on his verified X account on Sunday, described Adeleke as his brother and said his victory followed a long and difficult political journey.

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“Hearty congratulations to my brother, His Excellency Ademola @AAdeleke_01 on his reelection as Governor of Osun State.

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“It has indeed been a long and arduous journey, but we are delighted that the will of the good people of Osun State prevailed in the end”, Makinde’s brief congratulatory message to Adeleke read.

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The congratulatory message came shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Adeleke the winner of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.n

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Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. He won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.

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The victory secured Adeleke a second term in office and marked the first time the Accord Party would win a governorship election in Osun State.

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PUNCH Online reports that the party became Adeleke’s platform after his exit from the PDP and subsequently mobilised political structures behind his re-election bid.

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Adeleke’s decision to leave the PDP followed the crisis within the opposition party, with PUNCH Online reporting in November 2025 that he was considering the Accord Party or the All Progressives Grand Alliance as platforms for his re-election. He later defended his defection, saying he had left the PDP to protect himself and safeguard the stability of Osun State.n

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The move was followed by significant defections to Accord. Twenty-five members of the Osun State House of Assembly elected on the PDP platform defected to the party in February, while six Osun members of the House of Representatives also joined Accord in March.n

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Makinde has been a prominent political ally within the wider opposition camp, making his congratulatory message significant as political actors begin assessing the implications of Adeleke’s victory ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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The Osun election was preceded by intense campaigns, political realignments and disagreements among the major parties. PUNCH had described Adeleke’s re-election bid as taking place amid “stormy political waters,” reflecting the intense contest surrounding the poll.n

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Makinde’s message also comes as several opposition figures have congratulated Adeleke following the declaration. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and former Senate President Bukola Saraki were among those who publicly acknowledged the outcome and congratulated the Osun governor.n

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For Makinde, however, the focus was on the electorate, with the Oyo governor stressing that after what he described as a “long and arduous journey,” the ultimate outcome was that the will of Osun voters prevailed.

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