Former Kano State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has congratulated Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on his victory in the August 15, 2026 governorship election.
Kwankwaso, in a statement posted on his verified X account on Sunday, described Adeleke as his friend and congratulated him on winning the election on the platform of the Accord Party.
“As a leader of the opposition and a committed democrat, I commend the people of Osun State for exercising their democratic rights and reaffirming the power of the people’s mandate,” Kwankwaso said.
Adeleke was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission early Sunday after defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
The Accord candidate polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. The African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
The election was particularly significant for Adeleke because he contested under the Accord Party after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, the platform on which he was elected governor in 2022.
His defection followed the prolonged crisis within the PDP, which culminated in the party conducting its governorship primary without him. Adeleke subsequently secured the Accord ticket and sought to retain his position outside the party that brought him to office.
Kwankwaso said the outcome of the election demonstrated the importance of citizens participating actively in the democratic process and making their voices heard.
“This victory is a reminder that when citizens remain committed to their civic responsibilities and make their voices heard, the people’s will must prevail,” he stated.
The former Kano governor also commended INEC for conducting the election and urged the electoral body and other stakeholders to continue upholding the principles of credible, peaceful and transparent elections.
“I also commend the Independent National Electoral Commission for the conduct of the election and encourage all stakeholders to continue to uphold the principles of credible, peaceful and transparent elections. Congratulations once again to Governor Adeleke and the good people of Osun State,” Kwankwaso added.
The commendation comes amid reports of alleged vote-buying, inducement and isolated cases of violence during the election.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, in a petition to INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, urged the agencies to investigate alleged vote-buying, financial inducement, illegal election financing, voter intimidation, violence and other electoral offences connected with the poll.
Despite the concerns, the Centre for Democracy and Development described the election as largely peaceful, while the final results gave Adeleke a decisive victory over his closest challenger.
