Adeleke Wins Osun Election Amidst Violence and Threats

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concluded the Osun governorship election on Sunday, declaring Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party the winner with 511,067 votes, defeating Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who received 444,815 votes. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was the second runner-up with 17,180 votes.

The Returning Officer, Joshua Ogunwole, reported that 1,010,684 voters were accredited, with 1,005,800 votes cast. Although the election day was largely peaceful, the period leading up to the vote was characterized by significant violence, including reported killings and intimidation.

An Accord Party member was killed a day before the election, and Maxwell Mgbudem, the national chairman of the Accord Party, claimed that at least 29 party members had been killed in the political turmoil. Adeleke also alleged that eight of his party members were killed in the months prior to the election, attributing the violence to APC supporters.