The Osun State governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, will feature thirteen candidates on the ballot, with the oldest being Clement Adesuyi, 69, of the Action Peoples Party (APP). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) originally cleared 14 candidates, but All Progressives Grand Alliance's Adeyemi-Doro Adesina withdrew on August 8 and backed the APC, according to ICIR reports.
Front-Runners and Key Details
The race is dominated by incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, APC's Bola Oyebamiji, and ADC's Najeem Salam. The election will take place across 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas, and 3,763 polling units, with 2,339,233 registered voters eligible to cast their ballots.
INEC has deployed 5,130 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and approximately 16,374 ad hoc staff for the exercise, with thousands of security personnel expected across the state. This is the second off-cycle governorship election in the South-West this year, following Ekiti State's election on June 18, 2026.
Profile of the Six Oldest Candidates
Based on age data published by INEC, here are the six oldest candidates in the race:
1. Clement Adesuyi, 69, Action Peoples Party (APP) – Adesuyi is the oldest governorship candidate in the race, contesting on the APP platform.
2. Ademola Adeleke, 66, Accord Party – Born on May 13, 1960, Adeleke is the incumbent governor. He first won the seat in 2022 by defeating then-governor Adegboyega Oyetola with 403,371 votes to Oyetola's 375,027. He is now seeking a second term, with his campaign focusing on infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, and workers' welfare.
3. Masilo Adeleke, 65, Boot Party – Masilo Adeleke is the third-oldest candidate, representing the Boot Party.
4. Yemisi Adeagbo Opawoye, 64, African Democratic Party (ADP) – Opawoye is the only female governorship candidate in the election. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree and is contesting on the ADP platform.
5. Najeem Salam, 61, African Democratic Congress (ADC) – Born on August 8, 1965, in Ejigbo, Osun State, Salam is a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, serving from 2011 to 2015 and returning to the legislature in 2017. His long career in Osun politics places him among the more senior candidates, though his exact age was not listed in INEC's published data.
6. Bola Oyebamiji, 60, All Progressives Congress (APC) – Born on November 17, 1965, Oyebamiji previously served as Osun commissioner for finance under two governors and later headed the National Inland Waterways Authority before resigning in 2025 to contest the election. His career spans several decades in public service.
Context and Impact
The election is one of the most watched political contests in Osun State in years. With thirteen candidates, the field is broad, but three have emerged as the most prominent: Adeleke, Oyebamiji, and Salam. The outcome will determine the next governor of Osun State, with implications for the South-West region's political landscape.
