Osun 2026: ADC Congratulates Adeleke, Raises Questions Over Delayed Result Uploads

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke on his victory in the Osun State governorship election, describing the outcome as a victory for democracy and a significant moment for opposition politics in Nigeria.

The party, however, has demanded an explanation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over an interruption in the uploading of election results to the Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) during the collation process.

INEC declared Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, winner of Saturday’s election after he secured 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. The margin was 66,252 votes. ADC candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC congratulated Adeleke and the people of Osun State, saying the result demonstrated that political power and government machinery could not automatically override the will of voters.

The party also congratulated opposition forces, arguing that the election showed that voters could determine electoral outcomes despite the influence of powerful political actors.

However, the ADC raised questions about what it described as a nearly four-hour interruption in the uploading of results to IReV on election night.

The party called on INEC to explain what caused the interruption, who authorised it and why the uploading of results was halted at a crucial stage of the electoral process.

The concern comes against the backdrop of intense public attention on IReV during the Osun election, with voters, political parties and observers monitoring the portal as results were uploaded.

Despite the controversy surrounding the interruption, INEC completed the collation of results from the state’s 30 local government areas and declared Adeleke the winner.

The ADC’s position adds another layer to the political reaction following Adeleke’s re-election, with the party simultaneously accepting the declared result and demanding greater transparency from the electoral commission.

The party said the Osun outcome should serve as a reminder that the electorate remains central to determining who governs, while urging INEC to provide answers on the IReV disruption to strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

For now, attention is expected to remain on the conduct of the election, the transparency of electronic result transmission and how political parties assess the outcome ahead of the 2027 general elections.