Adeleke's Journey to Osun Governorship: Defeat, Rerun, Court Battles and Comeback
- Governor Ademola Adeleke first lost the Osun governorship in 2018 by just 482 votes after a rerun overturned his initial lead
- Adeleke returned in 2022 and won against the same opponent, but a tribunal later annulled his victory before higher courts restored it
- Adeleke now seeks a second term as the Accord Party candidate ahead of Saturday's Osun governorship election
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Osogbo, Osun State - With Saturday's Osun State governorship election drawing near, the political history of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke offers one of Nigerian democracy's more remarkable stories — a journey shaped by a razor-thin loss, a disputed rerun, a court-ordered removal, and an eventual Supreme Court vindication.
2018 Osun election that nearly was
Adeleke first ran for the Osun governorship in 2018 on the Peoples Democratic Party platform, going up against the All Progressives Congress candidate Gboyega Oyetola.
Source: Twitter
As reported by The Punch, when votes were counted, Adeleke polled 254,698 against Oyetola's 254,345, a lead of just 353 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared the election inconclusive after cancelling 3,498 votes across polling units in Ife North, Ife South, and Orolu Local Government Areas.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, explained that because the gap between the two leading candidates was smaller than the number of cancelled votes, INEC had no choice but to call the election inconclusive and schedule a rerun.
The rerun took place on September 27, 2018, across four local government areas.
Oyetola won it convincingly, collecting 1,160 votes to Adeleke's 325. Those additional votes were enough to reverse Adeleke's lead, with the final tally showing Oyetola on 255,505 votes against Adeleke's 255,023 — a margin of just 482 votes.
Speaking through his brother, Dele Adeleke, the PDP candidate refused to accept the outcome.
"Adeleke's mandate can't be stolen; it will be retrieved. The wish of the people will stand at the end."
Adeleke returned four years later
Adeleke came back in 2022, again facing Oyetola, who was by then the sitting governor.
The rematch produced a decisively different result. On July 16, 2022, Adeleke polled 403,371 votes against Oyetola's 375,027, winning 17 of the state's 30 local government areas to Oyetola's 13, a margin of 28,344 votes.
Returning Officer Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe declared Adeleke the winner, and he was sworn in as governor on November 27, 2022.
Legal battles that followed
Oyetola and the APC moved to the Election Petitions Tribunal, alleging irregularities.
In January 2023, the tribunal annulled Adeleke's victory, deducted votes it considered tainted by over-voting, and declared Oyetola the winner on a recalculated basis.
Adeleke called the ruling a "miscarriage of justice" and said it represented "an unfair interpretation against the will of the majority of voters."
He appealed immediately.
The Court of Appeal overturned the tribunal's ruling and restored Adeleke as governor. Oyetola escalated the matter to the Supreme Court, which in March 2023 upheld Adeleke's victory and brought the protracted legal dispute to a close.
Osun 2026 election
Adeleke now seeks re-election, this time as the Accord Party candidate. Among those challenging him is the APC's Bola Oyebamiji, as Osun State prepares to return to the polls on Saturday.
Source: Instagram
Adeleke expresses confidence ahead of Osun election
Recall that Governor Adeleke declared he is not worried about facing the APC's 34 governors in the upcoming Osun election.
Adeleke made the remarks at the Arise Town Hall, saying the governors are his friends but cannot cast votes in Osun State.
The governor's comments drew mixed reactions online, with some Osun residents backing him and others criticising his record in office.
Osun election: How Adeleke defeated Oyetola in 2022
Earlier, Legit.ng also reported that Adeleke polled 403,371 votes in the 2022 Osun state governorship election, according to INEC figures.
The then incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), finished second with 375,027 votes in the keenly contested poll.
A total of 804,450 valid votes were cast across the five candidates who contested the Osun governorship election in 2022
Source: Legit.ng
