The Osun State Governor and Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has won 19 of the 30 Local Government Areas in Saturday’s governorship election, while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji, secured victory in 11 LGAs.Download Offline Maps

The results are being collated and announced, with the Independent National Electoral Commission expected to make the official declaration after the completion of the process.

Adeleke recorded notable victories across several parts of the state, including Ede South, Ede North, Osogbo, Ife Central, Ife East, Ife North, Ilesa West, Odo Otin, Egbedore and Iwo.

Oyebamiji, however, won key LGAs including Ilesa East, Boripe, Irepodun, Obokun, Atakumosa West, Atakumosa East, Irewole, Isokan, Ola-Oluwa, Ife South and Olorunda.

The results announced so far show a closely contested election between the two major candidates, with the other candidates recording significantly lower figures in most of the LGAs.Download Interactive Maps

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In Boluwaduro, Adeleke polled 7,118 votes against Oyebamiji’s 7,050. In Ede South, Adeleke secured 26,188 votes while the APC candidate scored 6,219.

Adeleke also won Ife North with 13,879 votes to Oyebamiji’s 9,613; Ilesa West with 16,196 against 12,756; Ifedayo with 7,427 against 6,836; and Ife Central with 21,171 against 15,913.

In Osogbo, Adeleke recorded 36,480 votes while Oyebamiji polled 30,474. He also won Oriade with 21,343 votes to 14,863 and Odo Otin with 18,003 votes against 15,435.

Other LGAs won by Adeleke included Ife East, where he scored 27,201 votes against Oyebamiji’s 18,600; Ifelodun, 21,107 against 18,396; Iwo, 27,085 against 19,660; Ede North, 35,427 against 10,283; Ila, 16,211 against 12,934; Ayedire, 11,073 against 9,910; Egbedore, 19,278 against 11,194; and Ayedaade, 16,681 against 15,719.Design Campaign Signs

Oyebamiji secured victories in Ilesa East with 16,208 votes against Adeleke’s 12,280; Boripe with 19,963 against 12,448; Irepodun with 15,713 against 14,504; and Obokun with 16,120 against 12,023.

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He also won Atakumosa West, polling 10,037 votes to Adeleke’s 7,479; Irewole, 29,972 against 10,934; Atakumosa East, 9,936 against 7,872; Isokan, 14,063 against 13,765; Ola-Oluwa, 10,782 against 10,063; Ife South, 14,678 against 13,507; and Olorunda, 24,671 against 23,514.

The outcome places Adeleke ahead in the overall LGA tally, although the final result remains subject to the completion of the official collation and declaration by INEC.
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Former Abia Speaker and APC House of Representatives candidate, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s combined use of military operations and community-based programmes is beginning to “reclaim Nigeria’s peace” after years of insecurity.

Orji argued that the administration since May 2023 has refused to treat force and prevention as competing options, and has instead pursued both simultaneously.

According to him, the kinetic component is the “hard edge of state power” involving the deployment of the Armed Forces, police, and intelligence agencies to directly confront criminal networks. He cited sustained operations against terrorist enclaves in the Northeast and raids on bandit camps in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states.

He also pointed to targeted rescues of kidnapped Nigerians, improved highway policing, aerial surveillance, and stronger intelligence coordination among the DSS, NIA, police and military, which he said had helped security agencies move from reaction to anticipation.

In an article titled “A Steady Hand in a Storm: President Tinubu’s Dual Strategy for Reclaiming Nigeria’s Peace,” Orji argued that the non-kinetic component tackles the root causes of insecurity through dialogue, economic empowerment, education, deradicalisation and rehabilitation.

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“Peace held by soldiers alone is fragile. Peace owned by communities lasts,” he wrote. “One clears the ground, the other plants something better in its place.”

The former Speaker said the administration’s early directives included empowering the service chiefs, improving inter-agency coordination and strengthening funding and morale for frontline troops without political interference.

On the non-kinetic side, he said traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society were being brought into security discussions because lasting peace cannot be decreed from Abuja alone.

He listed agricultural support, access to credit and rural infrastructure as part of efforts to address the economic desperation that can make young people vulnerable to recruitment by criminal groups.

Orji also defended deradicalisation and rehabilitation programmes for repentant fighters and victims of violent extremism, describing them as strategic tools rather than signs of weakness.

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“This is not weakness. It is strategy. It reduces the pool of foot soldiers available to violent groups and gives communities a path back to normalcy,” he stated.

He said the dual approach was also being applied to communal conflicts through mediation, land-use dialogue and livelihood alternatives designed to address grievances before they turn violent.

In the Northwest, Orji said kinetic operations had helped reopen markets and grazing routes, while dialogue with farmer and herder associations was helping reduce reprisal attacks and establish early-warning mechanisms.

He said the approach also extended beyond Nigeria’s borders through ECOWAS and bilateral security partnerships, noting that criminal networks and traffickers do not respect national boundaries.

The APC chieftain further highlighted the use of hotspot mapping, drone surveillance and community reporting apps as part of what he described as a more data-driven approach to security, allowing resources to be directed toward emerging threats rather than only areas where attacks have already occurred.

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Orji argued that security has direct economic implications, saying improved stability would strengthen confidence in agriculture, mining, logistics and other productive sectors.

“Jobs follow confidence,” he wrote.

He also stressed the importance of citizens becoming active partners in security through neighbourhood watches, tip lines and town-hall engagements.

“Citizens are not spectators,” he stated.

The former Speaker said what distinguishes the administration’s approach is patience and continuity, arguing that security gains are cumulative rather than theatrical and that institutions need time to learn, adapt and consolidate progress.

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He also pointed to legal and constitutional measures, including improved equipment procurement and support for ongoing discussions around state policing, saying Nigeria’s size requires a layered security architecture.

While defending the administration’s direction, Orji acknowledged that the challenge remains.

“No honest assessment will claim the job is finished. Insecurity is hydra-headed and will test any government. But the direction is clear and the method is sound,” he said.

He called for continuity in the strategy, urging government to sustain pressure on criminal groups while deepening investments in vulnerable communities.

Orji said the ultimate objective should go beyond simply reducing attacks to creating conditions in which insecurity becomes increasingly difficult to sustain.

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“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set a template: firmness without recklessness, and compassion without naivety. In a nation as complex as ours, that balance is leadership,” Orji concluded.

The Federal Government’s Trans-Sahara Highway project linking Calabar through Ebonyi and other states to Abuja has recorded significant progress, with Section One now estimated at 45 per cent completion.

Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, disclosed this during an inspection of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja highway at Nwedeoga Ndidenyi Ishieke in Ebonyi State. He commended Infiouest International, the contractor handling the project, for what he described as the quality and pace of construction. “Section One is about 40, I will give them 45 per cent in completion. The quality of the concrete pavement is top-notch,” Umahi said.

According to the minister, Section One covers about 125.5 kilometres, beginning from the Ndibe Beach axis and passing through Akpoha, Abomege, Amudo, Onueke, Ezza North and parts of Ebonyi Local Government Areas. He said sections of the route were being dualised in response to increasing economic activities and urban expansion, particularly the 8.9-kilometre Afikpo stretch and a two-kilometre section around Abomege.

Umahi also disclosed that Section Two, extending into Benue and other states, spans about 173.6 kilometres and has a contract value of approximately ₦683 billion, with 30 per cent of the contract sum already paid by the Federal Government. “There is nothing stopping the contractor from working,” he said, stressing that the project would create a major transportation link between the Southeast and other parts of the country.

Beyond road connectivity, the minister said the project would boost the movement of agricultural produce, goods and people while strengthening security along the corridor. He disclosed that security measures would include CCTV surveillance, solar-powered streetlights and specialised highway guard units.

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Umahi further revealed that Infiouest International had employed more than 2,000 people on Section One, creating direct and indirect economic opportunities for residents of communities along the route. Earlier, the Section One Engineer, Mohammed Mustapha, said construction had progressed from Afikpo towards the Mbeke axis. “We are almost at 40 per cent of the project, starting from Afikpo to reach Mbeke here,” he said.

The Section Two Engineer, Rabih Munayyar, said mobilisation and construction activities were being accelerated, including bush clearing and other preparatory works. He also praised Umahi’s technical oversight of the project, saying, “I have never seen anybody so technically professional. Really, I’m impressed.” Acting Controller of the Trans-Sahara Road Project in Ebonyi, Engineer Maxwell Oko, identified the inspection point as kilometre 118+300 of Section Two and said Section One had major structures, including flyovers at Onueke and Ukwachi Junctions.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement for the Southeast, Barrister Choma Nweze, described the highway as an economic intervention capable of transforming communities by improving access to hospitals, markets and other economic centres. “I’m amazed that every road, every place is being opened up. This will give our women the opportunity of getting to hospital without giving birth on the road. It will make our farmers able to bring their food to town to sell,” she said.

During the inspection, Umahi also assessed areas where buildings and other properties could be affected by the road alignment. He said the Federal Government was working with relevant authorities on compensation and resettlement, while commending the Ebonyi State Government for supporting compensation efforts, particularly around the Onueke flyover corridor.

He maintained that the project would reduce travel time, improve security and expand economic opportunities, urging Nigerians and media practitioners to assess the government’s infrastructure performance through verifiable facts, physical project delivery and developments on the ground rather than unconfirmed narratives.

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