Adebayo Adedamola on Tuesday clinched the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket for the 2026 Osun election, polling 919 of the 957 valid votes cast at the party’s primary in Osogbo.
Chairman of the primary committee, Humphrey Abba, who declared the result, said 20 votes were voided. “One of the aspirants withdrew earlier. The candidate with the remaining votes is Adebayo Adedamola with 919 votes. He is hereby elected and returned,” Abba announced.
Although Governor Ademola Adeleke had formally resigned from the PDP, his name still appeared on the ballot. Secretary of the committee, Sunday Solarin, who conducted the exercise, said Adeleke and Adedamola were initially cleared for the race, but noted that votes cast for Adeleke “would amount to waste” following his resignation.
Voting commenced shortly after accreditation ended at 11:35 a.m., with delegates checking their names before proceeding to the ballot. Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a delegation from the PDP national headquarters led by Abba monitored the process.
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Security was tight around the Adolak Event Centre, venue of the primary, with personnel from the Department of State Services, police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps stationed at entry and exit points.
Adeleke’s resignation letter, dated November 4, 2025, and addressed to the PDP Ward 2 Chairman in Ede North, surfaced earlier on Tuesday. In the letter, the governor attributed his exit to the protracted crisis rocking the party’s national leadership. He thanked the PDP for the platform that produced him as senator and governor.
His spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, later confirmed the resignation. The Osun PDP leadership has since hinted that Adeleke may not seek the party’s ticket for the 2026 poll unless the crisis is resolved and recognised by INEC within the stipulated timetable.
The state chairman, Sunday Bisi, had told reporters on Monday that the party could not hold the December 2 scheduled primary due to the unresolved crisis. Under INEC guidelines for the August 8, 2026 Osun governorship election, political parties have until December 15 to submit the names of their candidates.
