The All Progressives Congress (APC) has recorded a decisive victory at the polling unit of former Osun State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) leader, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in Saturday’s governorship election.
At Polling Unit 001, Cooperative Building Junction, Isare, Ward 08, Ilesa East Local Government Area, the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, polled 256 votes. Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party came second with 43 votes, while the ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 13 votes.
The result gives the APC a clear margin of 213 votes over the Accord Party at the unit. The combined votes of the Accord Party and ADC totalled only 56, far behind the APC’s tally.
The outcome is politically significant given Aregbesola’s stature as a former two-term governor of Osun State and a leading figure in Ijesaland. Aregbesola, who defected from the APC and now serves as a top national leader of the ADC, cast his ballot at the unit earlier on Saturday.
The result from Aregbesola’s polling unit forms part of the early returns emerging from Ilesa and the wider Ijesaland axis, areas that have drawn close attention in the closely contested election between Oyebamiji of the APC, Adeleke of the Accord Party, and Salaam of the ADC.
Collation of results is continuing across Osun State’s 30 local government areas. Official results will be declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the full collation process is completed.