About two days after the Osun governorship election, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Oyebamiji, has broken his silence, throwing his weight behind his party’s decision to review the outcome of the just-concluded poll.

Oyebamiji lost to incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party in Saturday’s election, coming second with 444,815 votes, while the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) flagbearer, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.

Days after the declaration of the result, the APC candidate said that while he respects the decision, “I totally support the decision of our party in its ongoing review of the outcome of the election.

“Consequently, I appreciate the many people who believed in and supported the alternative vision we articulated,” he said.

The APC candidate asked his supporters to “remain calm and peaceful as you go about your daily activities in the post-election period.” He, however, raised concerns over what he described as the “trend of hostility” against APC members and his supporters.

“The violent attacks on our members witnessed in the build-up to the election have taken another dimension in the last 24 hours,” the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) wrote in a post on his X account on Tuesday morning.

“Consequently, I urge the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to intervene and arrest this ugly trend without delay.”

Dear supporters, members and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun,

I commend you all for your steadfastness, commitment, sacrifice, and tireless efforts throughout the just-concluded governorship election. Your unwavering support for my candidacy and your…

— Bola Oyebamiji (@OyebamijiBola) August 18, 2026

In thanking members of the APC, Osun residents and his supporters for “their steadfastness, commitment, sacrifice, and tireless efforts”, Oyebamiji said that though the election is over, “the values and causes we championed are alive.”

“We will continue to work for effective, inclusive, and rapid development of our dear Osun. I urge all of you who stood by our party and campaign to keep working for our community, to stay engaged, to continue to organise and to remain vigilant for the collective good of our state,” he said.

Fifteen political parties fielded candidates for the August 15 election in the South-Western state. At the end of the exercise, the Returning Officer for the election, Joshua Ogunwole, said Governor Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to emerge as the winner of the keenly contested poll.

“For that, Adeleke Ademola Jackson of the Accord Party, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is hereby returned elected,” he said on Sunday while announcing the results at the INEC Collation Centre in Osogbo.

According to Ogunwole, 1,005,800 votes were cast in the election, which was held across the 30 local government areas of Osun State, while 985,079 valid votes were recorded. The Returning Officer said 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the poll.

With the victory, Adeleke, who swept to power under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022, will now serve a fresh four-year term as the governor of Osun State.

As political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, a security expert in Katsina State, Ibrahim Katsina, has urged politicians and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully and avoid actions capable of overheating the political atmosphere.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Channels Television in Katsina on Monday, the former Special Adviser on Security Matters to former Governor Aminu Masari stressed that democracy thrives on healthy competition and issue-based campaigns rather than violence, intimidation and hate speech.

He advised political actors to concentrate on promoting the manifestos of their respective parties and candidates, describing peaceful engagement as the true beauty of democratic practice.

“As the 2027 electioneering campaign draws closer, my advice to politicians is that they play according to the rules of the game in order not to overheat the polity,” he said.

“Let them sell the manifesto of their parties and that of their candidates in an amicable manner, and that’s the beauty of democracy.

“We need a stable polity. Politicians should play according to the rules of the game and avoid anything that could create tension. And INEC must ensure that any politician who heats the polity by inciting government or using thuggery be sanctioned. And enforcement agencies should ensure that the regulations are followed.”

He further urged law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance with the rules guiding electioneering campaigns.

The security expert commended what he described as the significant improvement in the security situation across Katsina State, attributing the progress to the collaborative efforts of government and security agencies.

According to him, security agencies have become more professional in understanding emerging criminal trends and deploying effective containment measures, expressing optimism that the gains recorded would continue.

He expressed confidence that security challenges would be further reduced before the 2027 general elections, assuring that ongoing operations would deliver even greater successes.

Katsina emphasised that tackling insecurity requires collective responsibility, noting that every citizen has a role to play alongside government and security agencies.

“Security is everybody’s business. When we unite against terror, we will succeed. The country belongs to all of us, and we must work together to ensure criminals do not destabilise our society,” he stated.

He also cautioned against glorifying criminal activities on social media, warning that such narratives could embolden criminal elements and undermine public confidence.

Instead, he encouraged Nigerians to celebrate the successes of security agencies and support ongoing efforts to consolidate peace, expressing optimism that the remaining security challenges were surmountable through sustained collaboration and public support.

“The isolated cases now are surmountable, and I am sure that with the efforts being put in place by the government and security agencies, these crimes will come to pass,” Katsina noted.

The national leadership of the Accord Party has called for the immediate release or prosecution of members of the party who were arrested before the conduct of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

The National Chairman of Accord Party, Maxwell Mgbudem, made the demand while addressing journalists in Osogbo on Monday following the victory of the candidate of the party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, in the election.

“Accord demands the immediate release of all its leaders, candidates, members and supporters arrested and detained in Abuja, Nasarawa and Osun states in flagrant violation of their fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended,” Mgbudem stated.

He noted that the victory of Adeleke in the election was a powerful testament of the people’s resolve to freely and peacefully choose their governor and protect their votes despite all odds.

Mgbudem condemned the high level of harassment, intimidation, destruction of property, arrests, detention, killings, and the use of federal might, particularly the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to subdue the party and the people of the state.

“The objective is to destabilise the government of His Excellency Governor Ademola Adeleke and make Osun State ungovernable to pave the way for a declaration of a state of emergency,” he noted.

According to him, the achievements of Governor Adeleke are evident, making the people identify with him and the Accord Party in pursuit of a better, greater, brighter and prosperous Osun State.

“It was indeed the triumph of courage over fear and intimidation. The people have spoken loud and clear with their votes. They have in one accord renewed the mandate of their beloved Governor Adeleke. They have voted for continuity, compassionate and inclusive governance.

“This victory is dedicated to the peace-loving people of Osun State who have powerfully demonstrated their abiding faith in democratic participation and the Accord government in Osun State,” he said.

He commended all Nigerians, the civil society organisations, local and foreign election observers, the international community, the electoral umpire and security agencies who prioritised electoral integrity and transparency in the election.

He also commended the candidates of various political parties who stepped down for Governor Ademola Adeleke, saying this will help build a strong political alliance aimed at deepening the nation’s democracy.

Mgbudem further noted that the Accord Party had extended its hand of fellowship to all the political parties, their candidates, members and supporters with the government in making Osun State great again.

He maintained that Christopher Imomolen, claiming to be the national chairman of Accord, who endorsed the APC governorship candidate before the election, was not a member of the Accord Party.