Osun APC Rejects Adeleke’s Victory, Says He Did Not Secure Highest Valid Votes

The Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Committee in the 2026 Osun State governorship election, Oluwole Oke, has said the party will not rush to congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election, insisting that the governor did not secure the highest number of valid votes in the election.

Oke said the Osun APC was still reviewing the outcome of the August 15 governorship election and examining available records before announcing its official position.

Speaking on Monday during Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television, Oke said the party would not be pressured into accepting the election outcome without thoroughly reviewing the process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Adeleke the winner of the election after he polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, who scored 444,815 votes. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came third with 17,180 votes.

Adeleke won in 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji emerged victorious in 11 LGAs.

While President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Adeleke on his re-election, describing the outcome as a reflection of the people’s will, Oke said the Osun APC was not bound to immediately extend similar congratulations.

According to him, the President could congratulate Adeleke in his capacity as the nation’s leader, but the APC in Osun had a responsibility to independently examine the election and determine its position.

“Mr. President, His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, is the father of the nation. And as a democrat, based on the announcement of INEC, he issued a statement credited to him. He’s a father, he’s a leader, but we’re on the spot,” Oke said.

He added that the party was conducting a comprehensive review of the election, stressing that political realities on the ground must be taken into consideration.

“We’re on the ground and politics is local. And like I’ve told you, what we are doing, even for future records, is to conduct a total review of the entire process and then form an opinion,” he said.

Oke maintained that the APC would not be under pressure to congratulate Adeleke, reiterating the party’s position that the governor did not obtain the highest number of valid votes.

“We won’t be under any sort of pressure to easily reach out to congratulate Senator Ademola Adeleke because we believe he did not score the highest valid votes,” he said.

The APC campaign DG further disclosed that the party was studying and inspecting the election records and would communicate its official position to the public after completing its review.

“We’re studying the records. We’re inspecting the records. And very soon, we would make our position known to the members of the public,” Oke added.

The development signals that the Osun APC may challenge the declared outcome of the election, with the party expected to announce its next line of action after completing its review of the electoral process.