Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), formally declared Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the Osun State governorship election held on August 15, 2026. The declaration was made at the state collation centre at approximately 7:24am on Sunday, August 16, positioning the academic as a central figure in the state's political transition.
Ogunwole's Role as Returning Officer
Ogunwole, a distinguished soil scientist, served as the State Returning Officer for the election. His announcement came after agents of participating political parties had signed off on the results, ensuring a formal and accepted declaration. He stated, "That Ademola Nurudeen-Jackson Adeleke, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the August 15 Governorship Election and returned elected."
The election results showed Adeleke, running under the Accord Party, securing 511,067 votes, while his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled 444,815 votes. Adeleke won 19 of Osun's 30 local government areas, with Oyebamiji carrying the remaining 11. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) finished third in the contest.
Academic and Professional Background
Born on July 23, 1967, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Ogunwole traces his roots to Ogbomoso. He attended St Anne's Primary Boarding School in Kakuri, Kaduna, and Tafawa Balewa Memorial College in Samaru-Zonkwa. He completed his pre-university studies at the School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he earned his BSc in Agriculture and both MSc and PhD in Soil Science.
Colleagues and students affectionately know him as "Coach." His academic career spans several Nigerian institutions, including Ahmadu Bello University, Adamawa State University, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Bowen University, and FUOYE. He served as Vice Chancellor of Bowen University from 2018 to 2023 before becoming Deputy Vice Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships, Research, Innovation and Linkages at FUOYE, a role that led to his appointment as Vice Chancellor.
International Research and Fellowships
Internationally, Ogunwole held a Fulbright Scholarship at Pennsylvania State University in the United States from 2009 to 2010, a TWAS Postdoctoral Fellowship in India, and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship at the University of Hannover in Germany. His research has also taken him to Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Italy, Ghana, Mali, Kenya, and Tunisia.
His research focuses on soil science, carbon sequestration, environmental management, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation. He is a Fellow of the African Scientific Institute and the Soil Science Society of Nigeria, and a member of international bodies such as the Agronomy Society of America, the Soil Science Society of America, and the International Union of Soil Science.
The declaration on Sunday marked a brief shift from academic duties to electoral responsibility, as Ogunwole announced figures that will shape Osun State's political direction for the next four years.
In related news, Legit.ng earlier reported that four scholars from FUOYE secured a total of ₦89.964 million in National Research Fund (NRF) grants to undertake innovative research projects addressing national and global challenges.
