OSOGBO — Voters across Osun State will today, Saturday, August 15, 2026, file out to elect a governor who will steer the affairs of the state for the next four years, in an election expected to be keenly contested.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed August 15 for the off-cycle governorship election, with voting taking place across the 30 local government areas of the state.
A total of 2,339,233 voters are registered for the election, but INEC said 1,906,390 voters, representing 81.50 per cent of the register, collected their Permanent Voter Cards and are eligible to participate with the required voter credentials. Some 432,843 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent, remained uncollected ahead of the poll.
The election will feature 15 political parties, following the late inclusion of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Dr Francis Olugbenga Ajala, in compliance with a Federal High Court judgment. INEC had initially prepared ballots for 14 political parties before reproducing the materials to accommodate the SDP.
Among the leading candidates are incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Adeleke is seeking a second term, making today’s election a major test of his administration’s popularity, while the APC is seeking to reclaim the state through Oyebamiji.
The ADC, with former Osun State House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam as its candidate, is also positioning itself as an alternative to the two major contenders.
Other candidates representing smaller political parties are also on the ballot, raising the number of contestants to 15 after the court-ordered inclusion of the SDP.
INEC completed the distribution of sensitive materials to the state’s 30 local government areas ahead of voting, although the process was delayed by the need to reproduce ballot papers and result sheets following the inclusion of the SDP.
The materials were dispatched from the Central Bank of Nigeria premises in Osogbo, with officials giving priority to distant and difficult-to-access areas to ensure timely commencement of the election.
Security has also been tightened across the state as voters head to the polls. President Bola Tinubu, in a message ahead of the election, called for a peaceful exercise and urged security agencies to protect voters, electoral officials and election materials.
Political parties, candidates, security agencies, civil society organisations and election observers will be watching closely to see how INEC handles accreditation, voting, counting and transmission of results.
The governorship contest is particularly significant because it comes months before Nigeria’s 2027 general elections and is expected to provide another test of the country’s electoral institutions and the political strength of the major parties.
For Adeleke, today’s poll is a referendum on his first term in office. For the APC, it is an opportunity to return to Government House, Osogbo, four years after losing the governorship. For the ADC and other parties, the election represents an opportunity to challenge the dominance of the leading political blocs.
INEC has repeatedly assured residents and political stakeholders that it is prepared to conduct a credible and transparent election.
With campaigns concluded and election materials deployed, attention now shifts to the polling units where Osun voters will determine who occupies the Government House for the next four years.
The credibility of the election will ultimately depend not only on voter turnout, but also on the conduct of political actors, electoral officials and security agencies as Osun decides today.