The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates contesting the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State, confirming the participation of 14 political parties and their respective running mates.
The list, attached to a letter signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and dated March 4, 2026, was published on the commission’s website. It outlines the candidates cleared to participate in the upcoming poll after the conclusion of the nomination process.
Notably, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party did not present candidates for the election.
Among the prominent contenders is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Oyebamiji, who named Benjamin Adereti as his running mate. Adereti, 48, previously contested the 2023 House of Representatives election for the Ife Federal Constituency under the APC but lost to Bimbo Ajilesoro of the PDP.
Adereti replaces former state lawmaker Tunde Olatunji, who had earlier been submitted to INEC as the party’s deputy governorship candidate.
Also on the final list is Najeem Salaam, a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly and the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Salaam selected Yemisi Agiri as his running mate.
The incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is contesting under the Accord Party, retained his current deputy, Kola Adewusi, as his running mate for the election.
Other candidates confirmed by INEC include Adeyera Oluwabusola Adesola of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Abdulsalam Olamide of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Bello Muideen Yekeen of the African Action Congress (AAC), all of whom have also named their running mates.
INEC had initially scheduled the governorship election for August 8, 2026, before rescheduling it to August 15.
With the release of the final list, the commission confirmed that political parties can begin official campaign activities from March 11, 2026.
Speaking earlier in Osogbo during a Ramadan lecture organised by the Concerned Muslim Stakeholders and League of Alfas in Osun, APC candidate Oyebamiji stated that his campaign would rely on grassroots engagement rather than federal influence.
“There is no way we can rely on federal might because we have consulted stakeholders across all 30 local governments, traditional rulers, men and women,” he said.
He urged eligible voters to obtain their Permanent Voter’s Cards in order to participate in the election.
Meanwhile, the guest lecturer at the event, Kamaldeen Busari, praised Oyebamiji’s devotion to Islam and expressed confidence in his leadership.
