Osun Election: Adeleke and Oyetola Launch Final Five-Week Campaign Push

Incumbent Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the PDP and APC challenger former Governor Gboyega Oyetola both launched their formal five-week campaign pushes for the August 15, 2026 Osun governorship election this weekend, setting up one of the most anticipated political rematches in southwestern Nigeria’s recent history.

Adeleke, whose energetic campaign style and social media presence earned him the nickname the Dancing Governor, kicked off his re-election campaign at a rally in Osogbo attended by thousands of supporters. He cited his administration’s record on salary payment, road construction, and social intervention programmes as evidence that Osun deserved four more years of his leadership.

Oyetola Claims His Election Was Stolen in 2022

Oyetola, who lost to Adeleke in 2022 in a result that the Supreme Court ultimately upheld after extensive litigation, launched his campaign in his home base with a narrative centred on what he described as the need to reclaim a stolen mandate and deliver the governance that Osun deserved. He said his administration had built stronger foundations than his successor had been able to build upon.

The PDP national leadership said it was fully behind Adeleke, with party officials pointing to the incumbent’s popularity and track record as guarantees of a comfortable re-election. APC officials said the party’s machine in Osun was stronger than it had been in 2022 and that Oyetola would benefit from both the APC’s national momentum and the lessons learned from the previous campaign.

INEC Readying for August Exercise

INEC said it was applying lessons from the June 20 Ekiti election, including concerns about vote-buying that had evolved beyond physical cash to digital transfers, in its preparations for the Osun exercise. Observer groups said the Ekiti election’s documented irregularities would be studied by all parties ahead of August 15. Furthermore, security agencies said they were already planning the Osun election security deployment based on the Ekiti framework with enhancements. Consequently, the Osun election is now the most immediate political contest in Nigeria, with the southwest set to dominate national electoral attention through mid-August.