Adebayo Adedamola has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the Osun 2026 election, following a primary conducted in Osogbo on Tuesday and held in the absence of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who recently resigned from the party.
Adedamola scored 919 votes out of 957 cast, according to the chairman of the PDP primary committee, Humphrey Abba.
Announcing the result, Abba said there were 20 void votes and confirmed that one of the aspirants had withdrawn before voting commenced.
“The candidate that got the remaining votes is Adebayo Adedamola with 919 votes and stands elected and returned,” he declared.
Earlier reports had indicated that despite his resignation from the PDP, Adeleke’s name still appeared on the ballot as one of two aspirants cleared for the contest.
The secretary of the primary committee, Sunday Solarin, had noted at the start of voting that Adeleke and Adedamola were the two aspirants listed but stressed that votes cast for the governor would amount to a waste since he had already left the party.
Accreditation of delegates ended around 11:35 a.m., after which voting began under tight security.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a delegation from the PDP national headquarters, led by Abba, supervised the exercise, while operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) secured the venue.
Adeleke had announced his resignation from the PDP on Monday night, citing the deepening national leadership crisis within the party.
In a message posted on X, he said he had conveyed his resignation to PDP leaders in his ward in Ede North Local Government.
The governor expressed gratitude to the party for the platform that enabled his election as senator and later governor.
Although his resignation letter did not indicate his next political move, sources suggest he may be preparing to join the Accord Party ahead of the 2026 governorship election scheduled by INEC for August 8, 2026.
Adeleke, who rose to prominence after winning the Osun West senatorial by-election in 2017, later defeated then-incumbent Governor Gboyega Oyetola in the 2022 election and assumed office on November 27, 2022.
His departure from the PDP marks a significant shift in Osun’s political landscape, raising questions about future alliances and the potential impact on the forthcoming governorship race.