Anxiety In Adeleke’s Camp As INEC Stops Results Upload On IREV

There is palpable anxiety in the camp of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord party, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stopped uploading results of Saturday’s governorship election to its Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

Checks conducted on the commission’s portal by THE WHISTLER at 10:30 p.m. showed that the last upload was made at 8:48:08 p.m., with results standing at 3,292 of the expected 3,763 polling-unit results, representing 87.48 per cent.

The development has sent apprehension through Adeleke’s camp, prompting the governor to formally appeal to President Bola Tinubu to rein in security agencies allegedly working to compromise the outcome of the election.

In a statement on his official X handle, Adeleke said, “It is imperative that you use your good office to issue a clear warning to the heads of security agencies deployed to protect the good people of Osun State and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.”

He alleged that desperate and rejected politicians were attempting to disrupt collation centres across the state, describing the development as unacceptable given the scale of security deployment for the poll.

“Reports of attempts to hijack or disrupt collation centres by desperate and rejected politicians across the state are deeply concerning and unacceptable, particularly given the large number of security personnel deployed to ensure a peaceful and credible election,” he said.

The governor urged Tinubu to reaffirm his earlier commitment that the votes of Osun residents would count, insisting that “the Nigeria Police, DSS, Nigerian Army, NSCDC and other security agencies must strictly adhere to this directive, while INEC must be given every necessary support to conclude the process and deliver a credible and transparent outcome.”

He added that “the people of Osun State have spoken with one voice, and their voices must be heard… their votes must be protected, and their mandate must be respected.”

Also, the Imole Campaign Council, Adeleke’s campaign organisation, raised the alarm over an alleged plan by INEC to declare the election inconclusive, a move it claimed was designed to frustrate the governor’s expected victory.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of the council’s Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, and shared with THE WHISTLER, the council said, “Our Party wishes to inform Nigerians of a sinister plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to declare the ongoing Governorship election inconclusive in an apparent move to frustrate the imminent victory of Sen Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke of the Accord.”

The council alleged that the plan was being coordinated by several governors and APC leaders, describing it as “one of the last minute desperate moves of the party to hijack our candidate’s victory and subvert the will of the gallant Osun electorate.”

It further reminded INEC of its earlier assurances of a free and fair process and invoked President Tinubu’s directive that the election “will serve as a litmus test for the 2027 General Election.”

The council called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies to provide adequate security at collation centres, alleging that ballot boxes had already been hijacked by thugs in some polling units.

“We note with sadness, the hijack of ballot boxes already recorded in a few polling units by these thugs and demand that perpetrators be arrested to face the full wrath of the Law,” the statement read, while appealing to local and international observers “to take note of this information and speak out on the side of the law and people of Osun State at this hour.”

Adding his voice to the growing unease, Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, took to X to demand that INEC conclude the collation process without delay. “UPLOAD THE REST OF THE RESULTS,” he wrote, questioning why voting was still ongoing in some wards.

He further warned, “Osun will not allow another inconclusive. Senate president, Falake give up and allow the will of the people.”

A member of the Imole Campaign Council, speaking to THE WHISTLER, described the situation as unsettling.

“It’s terrible as we don’t know what’s happening. But one thing is sure, we would win this even if we are afraid,” he said.

INEC is yet to respond to Davido’s calls or to the allegations raised by the Adeleke camp as of the time of this report.

Despite the anxiety, Adeleke was holding a slim lead as of the time of filing, according to results from 303 of the state’s 332 wards tracked by the Nigeria Elections Intelligence System.

The governor polled 177,572 votes, representing 50.5 per cent of votes cast, ahead of Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, who trailed with 158,588 votes, representing 45.1 per cent.

Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) placed a distant third with 5,917 votes, with collation still ongoing across the state’s 30 local government areas.

Figures from the collation showed that of the 845,100 registered voters in the affected wards, 361,500 were accredited, translating to a turnout of 42.8 per cent.

A total of 351,500 valid votes had been recorded, against 7,200 rejected ballots.

At his own polling unit, Adeleke recorded a decisive win. Results announced by the Presiding Officer at Unit 009, Abogunde/Sagba, Ede North Local Government Area, Adebimpe Susan Dunsin, showed the governor polling 421 votes, against 29 for Oyebamiji and a single vote for Salaam.

Only 457 of the 1,082 registered voters at the unit turned out before voting closed at 4:15 p.m.