Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15, 2026 governorship election has gone unchallenged at the election tribunal.
The 21-day window for filing petitions against the election result expired on Saturday without any candidate or political party approaching the tribunal.
The Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo had opened its registry after the election. However, no petition challenging Adeleke’s victory was filed before the deadline.
Adeleke defeats APC candidate
Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, secured 511,067 votes.
His closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress candidate Bola Oyebamiji, polled 444,815 votes.
Adeleke was subsequently declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The margin between the two leading candidates was 66,252 votes.
APC fails to challenge election result
The APC and Oyebamiji did not file a petition against the result before the deadline.
The tribunal registry had remained open to receive petitions during the 21-day period.
However, checks at the tribunal showed that no petition had been submitted against the election.
The Guardian also reported that the tribunal had not received any petition as of the close of business on Friday and Saturday.
The APC had earlier set up a legal team to review the election results. The party had also indicated that it would consult relevant stakeholders before deciding its next move.
However, Oyebamiji later congratulated Adeleke on his re-election.
He urged the governor to address alleged attacks on APC members and prevent post-election violence in the state.
Opposition candidates accept Adeleke’s victory
The absence of petitions has left Adeleke’s victory without a tribunal challenge.
Chairman of the Osun Accord, Victor Akande, described the development as a sign of political maturity among the opposition candidates.
He said accepting an election result could strengthen democratic practice.
“We appreciate the maturity of the candidates of the opposition for not challenging the outcome of the poll. That itself is good for democracy if an election stops at the poll,” Akande said.
The Social Democratic Party governorship candidate, Olugbenga Ajala, also accepted the outcome.
Ajala said the election and the processes leading to it were fair enough.
He added that the opposition had to accept the result because he believed the best candidate won.
Adeleke’s victory stands unchallenged
With the 21-day petition period now expired, Adeleke faces no election tribunal challenge over the August 15 poll.
The development clears a major legal hurdle for the governor as he begins his next term in office.
Adeleke had previously received his Certificate of Return following his re-election.
The governor is now expected to continue his administration without an immediate legal challenge to his electoral victory.
