Adebayo Adedamola on Tuesday secured the Peoples Democratic Party’s ticket for the 2026 Osun governorship election, emerging as the party’s flagbearer in a primary conducted without the participation of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The primary, held in Osogbo, produced a decisive outcome: Adedamola received 919 of the 957 valid votes. Announcing the results, the chairman of the primary committee, Humphrey Abba, noted that 20 votes were declared invalid and confirmed that one of the aspirants had earlier pulled out of the race.
According to Abba, “The only aspirant with valid votes is Adebayo Adedamola, who has scored 919 votes. He is hereby declared elected as the PDP candidate.”
Iwitnesslive had earlier reported that although Governor Adeleke had publicly announced his exit from the PDP, his name still appeared on the ballot for the primary election. Delegates were informed by the committee’s secretary, Sunday Solarin, that while Adeleke and Adedamola were originally the two contenders, Adeleke’s withdrawal meant any votes cast for him would be invalid.
Solarin, who declared voting open shortly after the accreditation of delegates concluded around 11:35 a.m., urged delegates to comply strictly with voting guidelines, noting that the process would recognise only validly cast votes.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission were present to monitor the exercise, alongside members of the PDP national committee led by Humphrey Abba. Security agencies—including the DSS, the police, and the NSCDC—maintained a strong presence around the venue.
Proceedings officially commenced at 11:07 a.m., with delegates confirming their names before entering to vote.
Governor Adeleke’s resignation from the PDP became public earlier in the day. In a letter dated November 4, 2025, and addressed to the chairman of Ward 2, Sagba Abogunde, in Ede North, Adeleke cited ongoing issues within the national leadership of the party as his reason for stepping down. The letter stated that his resignation was with immediate effect.
