UPDATE 11:15 AM: VOTING ONGOING STATEWIDE
It’s 11:15 AM right now in Osogbo and Osun is busy.
Not the usual Saturday market busy. Election busy.
People are standing in queues. Party agents are checking registers. Security men are walking around. And INEC officials are shouting "get in line" at polling units across the state.
After all the noise, all the rallies, all the money that was spent in the last 3 weeks, today is the day Osun people will decide.
Let’s take it step by step.
Voting has started across the state
INEC confirmed this morning that the governorship election is happening in all 30 local government areas of Osun.
That’s 332 wards. 3,763 polling units.
According to INEC, 2,339,233 people registered to vote in Osun. Out of that number, 1,906,391 people collected their PVCs.
So the question today is: how many of those 1.9 million people will actually come out?
From what we are seeing on ground, the answer is "a lot."
Early turnout in Osogbo, Ede and Ilesa
I’ve been speaking to our ZPOTHUB correspondents in the field since 7:30am.
In Osogbo, the state capital, people were already at polling units before 8am. At Ward 5, Unit 12 in Oja Oba area, voters were sitting on benches waiting for INEC officials to set up.
By 8:30am when voting started, the line was already long. Civil servants, market women, students. Everybody came out early.
In Ede, Governor Adeleke’s hometown, turnout is also heavy. People there are saying "we must protect our vote." Party agents from Accord are everywhere with tags. APC agents are also there.
In Ilesa, it’s the same story. People checked their names on the voter register pasted on the wall, then joined the queue. Some elderly people came with chairs. Some came with umbrellas because of the sun.
The mood is calm for now. People are talking, laughing, arguing small about politics, but no fight.
Heavy security everywhere
If there’s one thing you will notice today, it’s security.
Police. Army. DSS. NSCDC. Amotekun. They are everywhere.
Before the election, there were rumors. "There will be violence." "They will snatch ballot boxes." So the IGP deployed 20,000 officers to Osun.
At every major junction in Osogbo, you’ll see a police van. At polling units, 4-5 officers are standing.
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The idea is simple: let people vote in peace.
So far, no report of violence. Our reporters in Ife, Iwo, Ikirun, and Ejigbo all say it’s peaceful.
But security agencies are not taking chances. They said they will be on ground until the last result is announced.
Ballot papers were reprinted to include SDP
Here’s something important that happened just before today.
INEC had to reprint ballot papers and result sheets.
Why? Court order.
The court said SDP candidate Francis Ajala and his running mate Faseke Oladipo must be on the ballot.
So INEC added them. That means today, 15 parties are contesting in Osun, not 14.
If you go to vote today, check your ballot well. SDP is there.
For ZPOTHUB, this matters because SDP and other small parties can decide this election if the race is close. In 2023 we saw it happen in other states.
No winner yet. Don’t believe social media
It’s 11:08 AM. Voting is still ongoing.
Let me say this clearly: nobody has won yet.
I’ve seen posts on Facebook and X already saying "Adeleke has won" or "APC has taken Osun." Ignore them.
Voting and accreditation are still happening. Results have not been collated.
For ZPOTHUB, our rule today is simple: we will only report results that come from INEC or from official collation centers. Not rumors. Not screenshots.
If anyone tells you they have "the real result" from a polling unit, ask them: "who signed the result sheet?" If there’s no signature and no INEC stamp, it’s not real.
We’ll bring you verified updates as they come.
What we are watching for between now and 6pm
This is going to be a long day. Here’s what ZPOTHUB will track for you:
Turnout reports
We want to know which LGA has the highest turnout. Is it Ede? Is it Osogbo? Is it Ilesa? High turnout usually means people are angry or excited. Either way, it changes results.
Accreditation and voting problems
BVAS is supposed to work today. But we know Nigeria. Sometimes BVAS fails. Sometimes network fails. Our reporters will tell us if people are being disenfranchised anywhere.
Security incidents
So far it’s calm. But we are watching. If there’s ballot snatching or thuggery in any area, we’ll report it immediately.
Where candidates vote
Governor Adeleke is expected to vote in Ede later today. The APC candidate will vote in his LGA. When they vote, we’ll bring you photos and quotes.
INEC statements
INEC REC for Osun will address journalists at some point. We’ll listen and tell you what they said.
Counting and collation
Voting ends by 2:30pm in most places. Then counting starts at the polling unit. Agents will sign. Then results move to ward collation, then LGA, then state.
Official results
INEC will announce. That’s the only result that counts.
Why today is different
Osun elections are always tense. But 2026 feels different.
First, because of the economy. People are voting with their stomach. Rice price. Fuel price. Salary. That’s what people are whispering in the queue.
Second, because Adeleke is running on Accord, not PDP. That has changed the calculation. Accord now has a governor, state structure, and money. If they win, it proves a small party can grow big.
Third, because this is a test for Tinubu. APC lost Osun in 2022. If they lose again, the opposition will say "the people have rejected you." If they win, APC will say "the reforms are working."
That’s why Abuja is watching. That’s why party chairmen are in Osogbo hotels right now.
What voters are saying in the queue
I spoke to 3 people this morning on phone.
Mama Titi in Osogbo: "I came early because I don’t want wahala. I just want someone who will make food cheap."
Segun, a student in Ife: "I’m voting for the future. Not for money. For my children."
Alhaji in Iwo: "We need peace. Whoever wins, let them remember the poor people."
That’s Osun. People are tired. They want results.
The role of technology this year
INEC is using BVAS again.
What that means: your fingerprint must match before you vote. No more multiple voting.
Results will also be uploaded to IReV from polling units. So in theory, by 4pm we should start seeing results online.
But we’ve seen BVAS fail before. If network is bad in a village, they may have to wait. Our team will monitor that.
What happens after voting
Around 2:30pm, voting will close in most places.
Then presiding officers will count. Party agents will watch. Then they will fill the result sheet and upload to IReV.
From there, results move to ward collation centers. Then to the 30 LGA collation centers. Then to the state collation center in Osogbo.
If the margin is wide, we’ll know the winner tonight.
If it’s close, we may wait till tomorrow. Or we may go to tribunal.
Either way, ZPOTHUB will be here.
Our promise to you
Solomon and the ZPOTHUB team will update this article every hour today.
We will tell you:
Where turnout is high
Where there are problems
What INEC is saying
What observers are saying
And when official results drop
We will not post fake results. We will not post screenshots from WhatsApp.
We will wait for INEC.
What you should do now
If you’re in Osun and you haven’t voted, go now. Take your PVC. Take water. Be patient.
If you’re outside Osun, stay on ZPOTHUB. Refresh this page. We’ll update you.
And please, don’t share fake results. In 2026, fake news spreads faster than real news. Let’s be responsible.
UPDATE 11:15 AM: VOTING ONGOING STATEWIDE
INEC confirms voting in 3,763 polling units
Voters seen early in Osogbo, Ede, Ilesa
Heavy security presence reported
SDP added to ballot after court order
No official results yet
We’ll be back with Update by 5:00 PM.
For now, Osun is voting. And Nigeria is watching.
By Solomon Emmanuel| ZpotHub News
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