The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has announced it will pursue every legal avenue available following Saturday's governorship election, which resulted in a victory for the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke. The party's Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, stated in a Sunday release from Osogbo that the APC leadership is still reviewing the election results and will seek professional advice from its legal team before announcing a definitive course of action.
APC Insists the Process Is Not Over
Olabisi emphasized that the party views an election as a process that does not conclude on polling day but extends through tribunals and courts. "An election cannot be said to have been concluded without exploring all constitutionally allowed legal opportunities to correct anomalies observed in the process, as enshrined in the Electoral Act 2026, as amended," he said.
The party described INEC's declaration of the governorship result as a new development in Osun's political history but insisted it would not be pushed to act outside the rule of law. It assured members that "it is not over until it is over."
APC Raises Concern Over Safety of Its Members
Beyond the legal question, the party raised an alarm over the reported harassment of its members. It appealed to the Nigeria Police Force to protect APC supporters who, according to Olabisi, were being "needlessly molested" by members of the ruling party across the state. Members were urged to stay calm, avoid provocations, and go about their normal activities while the party consulted its lawyers.
"The current situation in the political history of the state is a passing phase which will soon become part of history, as justice shall be done accordingly," the statement added.
How the Election Ended
INEC declared Governor Adeleke the winner in the early hours of Sunday after he polled 511,067 votes. His closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, received 444,815 votes. The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.
The INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, announced the results at the collation centre. He confirmed that the total number of valid votes cast stood at 985,079, with 20,721 ballots rejected, bringing the overall votes cast to 1,005,800.
Osun Poll: Adeleke's Wife Hails Victory
Governor Adeleke was re-elected for a second term, with his wife, Ambassador Erelu Ngozi Abeni Adeleke, publicly celebrating the outcome on Sunday, August 16. In a message shared via her official Instagram account, @officialerelungoziadeleke, she congratulated her husband on what she described as a "well-deserved victory," expressing deep gratitude to the people of Osun State for their support at the polls.
