Osun State Gubernatorial Election Result And The Triumph Of The Will Of The People -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

Saturday, the 15^th day of August 2026 will go down in history as a day of the triumph of democracy over dictatorship and official high-handedness in Nigeria. It is a day the good people of Osun State made a bold statement with their votes. The determined people of Osun State shunned temporary handout and inducement from the rampaging APC hawks, voted according to their conscience and made sure their votes count. And the result was the re-election of the peoples’ governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke as the governor of Osun State for another four years. This was a feat achieved by the vigilant Osun people who defied the inducement, bullying and the obtrusive invasion of the state by the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Yes, the incumbent Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, was on Sunday the 16^th day of August 2026 declared re-elected by the state’s returning officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, having won 19 out of the 30 local government areas in the governorship election held across the state. He polled a total of 511,067 votes representing over 50% out of the 1,005,800 votes cast to emerge victorious in the contest, defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who polled a total of 444,815 winning in 11 local government areas. It was a resounding victory not only for the Osun people but for the whole country and all lovers of Democracy.

The victory of the Governor Adeleke is significant in many respect. Before the election, there have subtle and open incidences of bullying and intimidation from the ruling APC. And the reason is traceable to the fact that the amiable governor of Osun State refused to follow the multitude to do evil by defecting to the APC as others did. Recall that the former military administrator of Lagos State and former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola revealed that Senator Adeleke confided in him about facing intense pressure from the Presidency to cross over to the APC. And in spite of the inducement and intimidation he stood his ground and instead moved to the little known Accord Party when it was obvious that the Wike-destabilized Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his party, was not open to offering him the platform to contest again.

And ever since his defection to the Accord Party, it has been one form of distraction or the other from the APC-led federal government that is desirous of taking all the states and turning the country into a one-party state, doing everything it could, including using the state’s agents to intimidate and frustrate the dancing governor.

For fifteen months now the statutory allocation to the Osun Local government areas amounting to over N200 billion have been withheld by the federal government following a protracted legal tussle over the control of the local government. On the 5^th of August 2026, ten days to the Osun gubernatorial poll, the State government account was frozen by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), ostensibly to check suspicious transactions only to unfreeze the account after the public outrage that accompanied it. And everyone knows that the action of the EFCC was politically motivated to starve the state of funds needed for the election and not to stop fraud as they claim. Before then, on Sunday 12^th December, 2025 at Ile-Ife during the 10^th anniversary of the coronation of Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi as the Ooni of Ife and the installation of Oluremi Tinubu as the Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua, Mrs Tinubu threatened to wrench the microphone from Governor Adeleke who as it is characteristic of him was dancing before making his speech. That was the wife of the president harassing an elected governor in his state.

On the eve of the election, the members of the APC stalwarts invaded the Osun State with about 16 governors from different APC-controlled states, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Reps, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas as well as many National Assembly members and party bigwigs. But, the Osun people courageously rejected their handouts: cash, rice, noodles etcetera and freely exercised their electoral franchise demonstrating that power belongs to the people. The Osun people humiliated the APC leaders who sneaked out of the state at night admix booing by the voters who were on guard to ensure that their votes were counted.

Clearly, the Adeleke victory has rekindled hope of the survival of our democracy. It will surely reduce voters’ apathy. It will encourage the electorate to be courageous and vigilant in the future elections to ensure that their votes count. If the people of Osun could vote for the person of their choice against the APC heavy weights and against the wish of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is supposed to be from that state it is a positive development. Nigerians must brace up for the next general election. We must vote and ensure that our votes count. We must resist vote buying; reject handouts and if you must collect, do so but vote your conscience, after all the money being shared is our money. And if Nigerians emulate the Osun electorates: vote and insist their votes count, electoral malfeasance, vote-buying, thuggery, ballot box snatching will be no more. Good people would be elected; our democracy will flourish and good governance will be instituted. The joy that greeted the announcement of the result nationwide indicates that Nigerians are determined to take their destinies into their hands. It signals total rejection of the ruling APC that has subjected the masses to a life of misery. The battle cry is APC must go by any means necessary!

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK