Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole became a central figure in the final hours of the 2026 Osun State governorship election after formally declaring Governor Ademola Adeleke winner of the poll.
Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, served as State Returning Officer and announced the result at the state collation centre at about 7:24am on Sunday. Adeleke, of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat the APC's Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes. "That Ademola Nurudeen-Jackson Adeleke, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the August 15 Governorship Election and returned elected," Ogunwole announced.
Beyond the declaration, Ogunwole, fondly called "Coach" by students and colleagues, carries an accomplished academic résumé. Born on July 23, 1967, in Ibadan, and hailing from Ogbomoso, he studied Agriculture before earning his Master's and PhD in Soil Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He has taught at ABU, Adamawa State University, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Bowen University and FUOYE, and served as Bowen's Vice-Chancellor from 2018 to 2023 before rising to lead FUOYE.
Internationally, he was a Fulbright Scholar at Pennsylvania State University (2009–2010), a TWAS Postdoctoral Fellow in India, and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Hannover, Germany, with research engagements spanning Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Italy, Ghana, Mali, Kenya and Tunisia. His work focuses on soil science, environmental management, carbon sequestration and climate adaptation. He is a Fellow of the African Scientific Institute and the Soil Science Society of Nigeria, and holds memberships in several international professional bodies.
Adeleke secured victory in 19 of Osun's 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11; the ADC's Najeem Salaam finished third. Ogunwole's declaration officially closed the state-level collation, confirming Adeleke's return for a second term as governor.
