Politics

Osun election: 10 battleground LGs that may decide Adeleke, Oyebamiji race

Published

2 months ago

August 12, 2026

Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, the three leading candidates in the poll have intensified their campaigns as they seek to secure victory.

The incumbent Governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is running on the platform of the Accord Party; the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji; and Dr Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress have been running neck-and-neck, consolidating their holds on their respective strongholds while wooing power brokers in local government areas where they have weaker campaign structures.

All three leading candidates hail from Osun West Senatorial District, with Adeleke and Salaam coming from the Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency.

Oyebamiji, the APC candidate, hails from the Irewole/Isokan/Ayedaade Federal Constituency.

After almost four years in office, Adeleke has been using projects executed by his administration as a bargaining chip across the local government areas of the state.

Banking on block votes from the two local government areas in Ede, his hometown, Adeleke is also expected to win Egbedore Local Government Area, where the incumbent member representing his federal constituency, Bamidele Salam, hails from.

With the influence of his running mate, Kola Adewusi, and former PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, Adeleke’s camp also considers Ife Central, Ife East and Ife South among the local government areas where he is expected to perform well.

However, Adeleke’s chances in the three local government areas could be limited by the fact that Oyebamiji’s running mate, Benjamin Adereti, also hails from Ile-Ife.

Adeleke’s camp will also be hoping that former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, does not actively support Oyebamiji, as this could further boost the incumbent governor’s chances.

Ifelodun, Ila, Oriade, Iwo, Ifedayo, Orolu and Olaoluwa are also among the council areas where Adeleke’s foot soldiers have made noticeable inroads.

The support Adeleke enjoys from Iwo-born former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Moshood Adeoti, may also count in his favour, particularly in the Iwo Federal Constituency.

Adeleke’s chances of winning, particularly in the Iwo Federal Constituency, may, however, be hampered by Dr Amin Ogunbiyi, who is the senatorial candidate of the party in the 2027 general election.

Findings by The PUNCH indicate that all three leading candidates could secure a significant number of votes in the two local government areas in Osogbo, the state capital.

While the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, has openly declared support for Adeleke, APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, and the party’s senatorial candidate in the 2027 poll, Adekunle Adegoke (SAN), are making inroads into some of Adeleke’s strongholds in the two LGAs.

The considerably large following that former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, still enjoys in Osogbo is also helping Salaam’s cause in both Osogbo and Olorunda local government areas.

Oyebamiji will be banking on block votes from the Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency.

With the influence of former governorship hopeful, Dotun Babayemi, who hails from Gbongan, one of the biggest towns in the federal constituency, Oyebamiji appears to have an edge over the other leading candidates in the area.

The adoption of the faction of the PDP led by former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola may also prove crucial to delivering Odo Otin Local Government Area for the APC.

The presence of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Wale Egbedun, in the political equation of the local government area may, however, limit Oyebamiji’s chances.

The APC candidate also has a realistic chance of winning Boluwaduro and Boripe, where the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, hails from.

His chances are also considered high in Irepodun, Ife North and Obokun, the latter being the local government area of the lawmaker representing Osun East in the Senate, Francis Fadahunsi.

The lawmaker representing the Atakunmosa East/Atakunmosa West/Ilesa East/Ilesa West Federal Constituency, Sanya Omirin, is also expected to deliver Atakunmosa East and Atakunmosa West local government areas for Oyebamiji, in the absence of a strong pushback by Adeleke’s men.

But Aregbesola’s influence may limit Oyebamiji’s chances in Ilesa East, where the former governor hails from.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Project Implementation, Federal Housing Authority, Remi Omowaiye, has been the face of the APC campaign in Ilesa West, where the party appears stronger than its rivals.

Apart from Ejigbo Local Government Area, where Salaam hails from, Ilesa East, Osogbo and Olorunda are other areas where he could put up a strong showing.

Salaam, however, remains a formidable contender, as his influence across the state could swing votes in his favour. He served as Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly for eight years.

He also inherited the political strength of his mentor, Aregbesola, while at the same time carrying some of the political liabilities associated with the former governor.

The main battlegrounds

While the frontrunners, Adeleke and Oyebamiji, may have their traditional strongholds, the election could be decided in Osogbo, Olorunda, the three Ife local government areas, Odo Otin, Iwo and Ilesa East.

Osogbo

Both Adeleke and Oyebamiji are making inroads into the two local government areas in the state capital, while Salaam also has a significant presence in the area.

Olorunda

Olorunda presents a similar picture. Adeleke has the support of the Ataoja, Oyebamiji has APC heavyweights working to strengthen his position, while Salaam is benefiting from the influence of Aregbesola.

Ife Central, Ife East and Ife South

Adeleke is expected to perform well in the three local government areas, buoyed by the influence of his running mate, Kola Adewusi, and former PDP National Secretary, Wale Oladipo. Oyebamiji, however, has a potentially significant advantage through his running mate, Benjamin Adereti, who hails from Ile-Ife.

Odo Otin

Oyebamiji has the Oyinlola factor working in his favour, but the presence of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Wale Egbedun, could limit the APC’s advantage, making the local government area a genuine battleground.

Ilesa East

Oyebamiji has an obvious local connection in Ilesa East, but the influence of former governor Aregbesola could complicate his chances. Salaam is also expected to put up a strong showing in the area.

Iwo

Adeleke has the backing of former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Moshood Adeoti, giving him an advantage in Iwo. However, APC’s Amin Ogunbiyi is identified as a potential obstacle. The local government area is therefore another where the incumbent will need to consolidate his support.

Frontrunners dream victory

Meanwhile, the two leading parties have predicted victory for their respective candidates in Saturday’s governorship election.

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Oyebamiji’s chances on Monday, the Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, predicted victory for the party in all 30 local government areas in the state.

Olabisi said, “We are projecting winning in all 30 local governments in Osun State because of the acceptability and popularity of our candidate.

“He has been to all the 30 local governments and area offices three times each, while his main opponent has been wining and dining from Ede to Lagos, to Abuja and the United States.

“Our candidate is not a pretender but a contender who is going into the election to win.”

However, the Osun Accord spokesperson, Oladele Bamiji, dismissed Olabisi’s claim, saying Adeleke would win in all 30 council areas in the state.

“There is no local government that our candidate cannot win. We are winning all 30 local governments.

“The governor has touched every local government in the last three years, and the people will reciprocate through their votes,” Bamiji said.

Efforts to reach the ADC spokesperson, Seun Abosede, for comment were unsuccessful.

Calls to his telephone line did not go through, while he had not responded to a WhatsApp message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.

PSC deploys team

The Police Service Commission has deployed a delegation to Osun State to oversee the conduct of police personnel deployed for the August 15, 2026 governorship election.

The delegation, led by DIG Taiwo Lakanu (retd.), a board member and Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters, will monitor police personnel and ensure compliance with guidelines governing election duties.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Head of Protocol and Public Relations of the commission, Torty Njoku Kalu, said the delegation would ensure that police officers maintained discipline and professionalism before, during and after the election.

The commission said the deployment was aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the election and deepening public confidence in the electoral process.

The PSC, however, urged all police officers deployed to the state to remain apolitical, conduct themselves professionally and protect the rights of citizens to vote freely and peacefully.

“The PSC delegation will ensure that officers deployed for the election strictly adhere to the guiding principles governing election duties and uphold the highest standards of discipline and professionalism before, during, and after the polls.

“The Commission is committed to deepening public confidence in the electoral process by guaranteeing that Police conduct remains impartial, rule-based, and civil at all times.

“The Commission urges all Police officers assigned to Osun State for the election to display exemplary conduct, remain apolitical, and protect the rights of all citizens to vote freely and peacefully,” the statement partly read.

The PSC warned that it would sanction any police officer found to have compromised the credibility of the election.

It also directed officers on election duty to uphold the rights of all citizens and ensure a peaceful conduct of the poll.

“The PSC reassures Nigerians that it will not hesitate to sanction any officer found compromising the credibility of the election,”the PSC stated.

The deployment comes as 14 political parties prepare to contest the August 15, 2026 governorship election organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

A total of 15,000 police officers had already been deployed for the election.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Politics

Peter Obi says he won 2023 election but has ‘no evidence’ to prove claim, read details

Published

2 days ago

October 8, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has acknowledged that he has no evidence to substantiate his claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, while insisting that he remains convinced that he was the actual winner.

Obi made the remarks in a recent interview with BBC Africa while discussing his position on the disputed 2023 election and his plans to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Asked directly whether he had evidence to support his claim of victory in the 2023 election, Obi said, “There’s no evidence. Everything is not based on evidence.”

He nevertheless maintained that he won the election, adding, “I won the election and that’s where I will end. I don’t like going back to the past. I won the election (2023). Well, there’s no evidence but I won the election.”

Obi contested the February 25, 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party and was placed third in the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The electoral commission declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner with 8,794,726 votes, while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar came second with 6,984,520 votes. Obi recorded 6,101,533 votes.

Following the declaration, Obi and the Labour Party challenged the outcome at the Presidential Election Petitions Court, alleging electoral irregularities and non-compliance with electoral laws.

The five-member tribunal dismissed the petition on September 6, 2023, and upheld Tinubu’s victory.

Obi later took the case to the Supreme Court, but a seven-member panel of the apex court dismissed his appeal on October 26, 2023, ruling that it lacked merit and affirming the lower court’s decision.

Despite the court decisions, Obi has continued to reject the 2023 election outcome as a true reflection of the votes cast by Nigerians.

Source: tribuneonlineng.com

Follow Politics

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Politics

Presidency reveals key factor that gives Tinubu edge over opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, read details

Published

2 days ago

October 8, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Presidency has said the growing number of governors backing President Bola Tinubu gives him a stronger political structure and an advantage over opposition candidates ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said this on Channels Television’s Politics Today, arguing that the political landscape had changed considerably since the 2023 election.

Bwala said the support of governors was significant because they control political structures in their respective states and could translate their backing for Tinubu into grassroots mobilisation ahead of the election.

“Since then, President Bola Tinubu has got how many governors on his side? The governors are the Chief Executive Officers of their respective states. They coordinate the structures of the state. These people say, ‘We are putting our goodwill, our resources, our structure, and our support to the President,’” he said.

He said the President’s political position had also been strengthened by people who had benefited from his administration’s policies, including beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), agricultural programmes, manufacturing incentives, CrediCorp and infrastructure projects.

Bwala said the developments constituted “facts, verifiable data” which, in his view, showed that Tinubu had made progress since assuming office in 2023.

He also dismissed suggestions that the administration’s confidence ahead of 2027 was based solely on divisions within the opposition, saying its record in office would form an important part of its campaign.

His comments came amid renewed debate over Tinubu’s popularity and the ability of the opposition to challenge his bid for a second term.

Bwala dismissed an assessment by The Economist that Nigerians may re-elect Tinubu despite disapproval of his administration, arguing that claims about the President’s popularity should be backed by representative opinion surveys.

“When you make a claim that Nigerians don’t like him, without saying, also, that there are a lot of people… one million families that the children have benefited from NELFUND, you think they hate him?” he asked.

He similarly cited beneficiaries of agricultural interventions, support for manufacturers and CrediCorp, arguing that such groups should be considered when assessing public sentiment towards the administration.

On concerns over rising poverty and hunger, Bwala acknowledged that more Nigerians had fallen into poverty but attributed the hardship partly to the economic reforms undertaken by the Tinubu administration.

“More people went down to poverty, I acknowledge, I’m not doubting it. But there’s a but to it. Since when the reform started to today, we have made marked progress,” he said.

According to him, the reforms were necessary to address longstanding economic problems, despite the short-term discomfort experienced by Nigerians.

Bwala also defended Tinubu’s statement that Nigeria had moved from the “doldrums” towards prosperity, saying the President was not suggesting that Nigerians would suddenly begin experiencing prosperity from October 1.

He cited NELFUND beneficiaries, subsidised healthcare, infrastructure projects and support for small and medium-sized businesses as examples of what he described as prosperity already reaching Nigerians.

“One million families whose children have benefited from the NELFUND programme, what they are benefiting is called prosperity,” he said.

“If you go to an environment or a place where there have been no roads or any form of infrastructure, and we have established infrastructure there, what has come to them is prosperity.”

Bwala further claimed that the opposition had lost several influential political figures who played key roles in their 2023 campaigns.

He said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar no longer had the support of governors who worked for his 2023 campaign, while Peter Obi had also lost some critical political allies.

“In terms of the other candidates who say he will not win, Atiku Abubakar lost close to 25 per cent of key people that you know around him. All the governors that worked for him that time are no longer with him,” Bwala said.

“Peter Obi lost 55 per cent of the critical people that carried his campaign; they’ve all disappeared. And some of them went to Atiku, some of them went wherever they could go to.”

He consequently expressed confidence in Tinubu’s prospects in the 2027 contest, saying the political support around the President was considerably different from what existed before the 2023 election.

Source: tribuneonlineng.com

Follow Politics

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Politics

David Mark reveals ADC won’t accept rigging in 2027, read details

Published

2 days ago

October 8, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, David Mark, has warned that the party will comply with electoral rules but will resist any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections or rig it out of the contest.

Mark issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja when he received the governing council of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola (retd.), at the ADC national headquarters.

Mark said the ADC was prepared to abide by the rules governing the elections and the party’s own code of conduct, but would not accept electoral manipulation.

“We hold ourselves to the highest standards of good conduct as a political party. We will play by the rules. But we will not accept rigging or allow ourselves to be rigged out.

“We are committed to playing politics in a manner that promotes public confidence in democracy,” he said.

He added that the party would comply with INEC’s guidelines as well as the provisions of its Orange Book, which sets out the party’s code of conduct and governance principles.

The former Senate President had previously warned against the use of state institutions to manipulate the 2027 elections, saying the credibility of the polls must be protected.

The Council of the Wise, as the governing council is known, was at the party secretariat as part of its ongoing engagement with political parties and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking during the visit, Ariwoola said the centre was seeking the commitment of political parties and their candidates to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.

He also urged the ADC leadership to ensure that its candidates and supporters complied with the rules of the Independent National Electoral Commission and avoided conduct capable of triggering political violence.

The latest warning came as the Savannah Centre intensifies consultations with political actors and other stakeholders ahead of the elections.

The Council of the Wise, chaired by Ariwoola, was reconstituted in June with a mandate to promote peaceful, free and credible elections and engage key institutions and political actors.

The council’s recent engagements have included meetings with presidential candidates and other political stakeholders, with repeated calls for adherence to electoral rules, issue-based campaigns and the prevention of violence and hate speech.

Ariwoola’s delegation to the ADC included members of the Council of the Wise, among them Professors Abdullahi Shehu and Azeez Dankano, Executive Director of the Centre, Amb Sani Bala, Mr Tunji Lardner and Amb Godswill Ighali.

The centre had earlier said the Council of the Wise would engage President Bola Tinubu, INEC leadership, political parties, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups and other stakeholders ahead of the elections.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM