- Afrobeats star Davido campaigned heavily for his uncle, Governor Adeleke, and claimed soldiers tried to block him from entering Osun State
- The Accord Party secured its first-ever governorship seat in Nigeria following Adeleke’s victory at Saturday’s poll
- Two prominent Osun monarchs openly backed Adeleke before the election, with one appealing directly to President Tinubu not to rig the vote
The Osun State governorship election on Saturday, August 15, 2026 produced winners beyond Governor Ademola Adeleke himself, with his nephew Davido, campaign spokesman Pelumi Olajengbesi, the Accord Party, and at least two traditiona
Source: Twitter
l rulers all emerging from the contest with their influence significantly strengthened.
Davido’s Long-Distance Campaign
Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, known professionally as Davido, was in London for a performance on the eve of the election but remained a constant presence in the Osun political space through social media.
On August 15, 2026, he posted on his official X account claiming he had received intelligence that soldiers were planning to stop him from crossing into the state.
“Every citizen of Nigeria has the right to movement at any point in time,” he wrote.
From abroad, Davido publicly challenged INEC when the commission paused uploads to the IReV result portal for roughly two hours.
“INEC, it is now 2:33 p.m., yet no result has been uploaded to the IReV portal. What is the delay? Nigerians deserve transparency and timely updates,” he posted.
He also urged voters to stay at their polling units until results were captured on the electronic EC8A form.
X user Tersoo Adorowa, @king_tersoo, summed up the mood of many supporters: “#Davido may not be in Osun today, but he moved the whole world for his uncle! Adeleke na big name!!”
Accord Party’s Historic Breakthrough
Adeleke’s victory handed the Accord Party its first governorship seat anywhere in Nigeria. Registered in the 2000s, the party previously competed in Oyo State under former governor Rashidi Ladoja, who lost the governorship in both 2011 and 2015 before defecting to the PDP in 2017.
Adeleke joined Accord after leaving the PDP amid internal crisis, and roughly six serving federal lawmakers and several state assembly members followed him. With INEC declaring Accord the winner on Saturday, the party crossed a threshold it had never reached before.
Campaign spokesman Pelumi Olajengbesi, who is also the Accord Party’s candidate for the Oriade/Obokun federal constituency ahead of 2027, described the result as divine.
“I am super excited. This is the Lord’s doing. This is the manifestation of God’s hand. This is the will of the people of Osun State,” he said shortly after results were declared.
Source: Twitter
The Monarchs Who Spoke Out
Two traditional rulers who publicly backed Adeleke before voting day now find their bets validated. Oba Munirudeen Lawal, the Timi of Ede and a figure from Adeleke’s hometown, urged voters to follow their conscience and appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu.
“We are using this opportunity to appeal to President Bola Tinubu not to rig the governorship election. He should leave us alone and allow each of us to vote where we so desire,” the monarch said at a public gathering.
Source: Twitter
The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, cited specific infrastructure projects, including the Lameco flyover, as evidence of Adeleke’s commitment to the town.
“If I were a politician, I would mobilise Osogbo people to vote massively for you because you have done so much for our town,” the royal father said at a commissioning event before the election.
Osun 2026: List of 3 major contenders
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Osun State is heading into its most watched political contest in years, with 14 candidates on the ballot for the governorship election set for Saturday, August 15, 2026.
While the field is broad, three candidates have emerged as the most prominent contenders: incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Najeem Salam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Source: Legit.ng