By Victor Adeoti, Osogbo/Joshua Oladipo, Ede (Osun)/Olajide Idowu, Ikire (Osun)/Moromoke Akanji, Ejigbo(Osun)/Deborah Enwerem, Abuja
Aug. 15, 2026
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and his wife, Kafayat Oyetola, have cast their votes at Ward 1, Unit 10, Iragbiji, in Boripe Local Government Area of Osun on Saturday, in the ongoing Osun Governorship election.
The State’s Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has also cast his vote, at the Sagba Abogunde Ward 2, Unit 9, in Ede North Local Government Area of the State.
Similarly, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Osun 2026 governorship election, the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Najeem Salaam, and the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Accord Party, Kola Adewusi, have all voted at their respective polling units.
Speaking shortly after casting his vote, Oyetola, who is the leader of the APC in the state, commended voters for their impressive turnout.
He also praised the peaceful conduct of the electorate, expressing confidence that the APC governorship candidate, Oyebamiji, would emerge victorious at the end of the exercise.
Governor Adeleke, after casting his vote, equally expressed confidence in emerging victorious in the polls.
The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that the governor arrived at the polling unit at about 8:32 a.m, accompanied by a large number of supporters.
After being accredited by the presiding officer of Ward 2 unit 9 at 8;35 a.m., he proceeded to cast his vote, and speaking shortly after, not only expressed confidence in emerging victorious, but called on the electorate to come out en masse to exercise their franchise, stressing that they should protect their votes until the end of the electoral process.
Minister Oyetola, the immediate past Governor of Osun State, said further: “I am encouraged by the turnout of voters. It shows that our people are interested in the democratic process and are determined to exercise their civic responsibility.
“I am also pleased with the peaceful manner in which people have conducted themselves so far.
“Osun is a peaceful state, and I appeal to everyone to maintain this spirit throughout the election and after the results are announced,” he said.
He urged voters and supporters of the various political parties to shun violence, provocation and acts capable of disrupting the electoral process.
Chief Oyetola further expressed confidence in the electoral process, saying he believed the APC candidate had worked hard and enjoyed significant support among the electorate.
“I am confident in our candidate, and I believe the people of Osun will make the right choice.
“What is most important now is for everybody to remain calm and allow the votes to be counted and the will of the people to prevail,” he said.
The former governor also commended the security agencies deployed for the election, urging them to remain professional, impartial and vigilant until the conclusion of the exercise.
“I commend the security personnel for the work they are doing.
“Their presence is important in maintaining peace and ensuring that voters can exercise their rights without intimidation.
“I urge them to continue to discharge their duties professionally and fairly,” he said.
On his part, Governor Adeleke said further that: the election provides the people of Osun the opportunity to decide who would govern them for the next four years.
The governor urged voters to remain peaceful and law-abiding throughout the voting and collation processes.
He also appealed to the electorate to stay at their polling units to monitor the process, in accordance with INEC guidelines.
The governor, however, said that he received an information about a certain police officer who was trying to disrupt the electoral process in Ede.
He called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to immediately move the police officer away from the state.
“We also received information about our supporters being scared away in Modakeke and some areas in the state by some police officers to disenfranchise them,” he said.
Adeleke also called on his supporters to watch out for fake ballot papers which could be used in some polling units to deceive the electorate.
He, however, expressed optimism that the election would be peaceful, credible and reflective of the people’s will.
Mr. Oyebamiji, the APC guber candidate, who arrived at his polling unit, Unit 11, Ward 9, Open Space Gantry Sawmill, Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area with his wife, Sekinat, commended the turnout of voters.
“INEC (people) are here; the voters are here; security operatives are here. I want to commend the large turnout of voters in Ikire.
“It shows that people are not intimidated, and generally, things are going on fine across the state,” he said.
Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, said he was optimistic that the election would be peaceful.
He, however, urged the police and other security operatives to be proactive in ensuring security of the people of the state.
“I believe the election will be credible, and I am confident that I will win this election at the end of the day,” he said.
NAN reports that Oyebamiji, who arrived at the polling unit at 10:45 a.m., was immediately accredited, after which he cast his vote.
Kola Adewusi, the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Accord Party in his own reaction after casting his vote on Saturday in Ile-Ife, expressed optimism that his party will emerge victorious, noting that adequate security personnel had been deployed to ensure a peaceful exercise across the state.
He, however, raised concerns over the uneven arrival of INEC officials at some polling units, noting that while officials arrived early in some areas, the situation was different in others.
According to him, the late arrival of election officials at some polling units could affect the smooth commencement of voting.
The Accord deputy governorship candidate said he remained confident of victory, stressing that the party had worked hard and enjoyed strong support across the state, insisting that he is optimistic of winning the poll.
Meanwhile, Afrobeats singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has urged election officials to use the front camera on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) when the device’s other camera is not working.
Davido gave the advice in a post on his X handle on Saturday, as voting was underway in the Osun governorship election.
“If your BVAS camera is not working, please tell the officials to use front camera. It is very active and fast!,” he stated.
The singer’s comment came amid reports of technical challenges involving BVAS during the election.
BVAS is used by the INEC for voter accreditation through fingerprint and facial authentication, as well as for other election-related functions.
Davido has in recent days spoken on issues relating to the Osun governorship election, including calling the attention of both local and international bodies to show close attention to the conduct of the exercise.
Salaam, who arrived at his polling unit to vote by 10:39am, said he received reports that ADC agents were not being recognised in spite of the party uploading their names ahead of the election.
He said the alleged non-recognition of his party’s agents occurred in 10 local government areas, prompting him to report the matter to relevant authorities, who, he said, were looking into it.
Salaam also denied allegations of vote buying by the ADC, insisting that the party was focused on presenting its programmes and allowing voters to freely choose their preferred candidate.
“We converse with the people, we let them know our programmes, and that is exactly what we do. Vote buying is out of it. I have never in my life bought votes.
“People will decide whom they want, and I think it should be very fair enough for them to have the right to choose whom they prefer as a candidate or as the governor of the state,”he said.
The candidate, who voted at Ward 4, also expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious, attributing his optimism to his faith in God and the voters’ support.
The election, which has generated sustained local and international interest, according to reports from across the state, has witnessed a large turnout of voters and all eyes are now on the INEC and security agencies as the process progresses to vote counting, tabulation and announcement of results.
