Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor | Journalist at Weng Global
Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has declared confidence in the electoral prospects of his uncle, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, as the Independent National Electoral Commission continues the collation of results from the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
Davido, who has been an outspoken supporter of Governor Adeleke throughout the election campaign, took to social media on Saturday as results began emerging from polling units across the state.
In one of his posts, the singer mocked the All Progressives Congress over the emerging figures, declaring, “We are winning, guys!” He also urged security agencies not to withdraw from electoral locations while the collation process was still ongoing.
In another post, Davido wrote, “Their group chat don scatter! Baba Akande lost his ward. Gov Adeleke is cruising to victory. Shame APC. Osun no be Edo!”
The statement immediately drew attention because of the political rivalry surrounding the Osun election and Davido’s recent exchanges with Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Davido backs Adeleke as results are collated
The singer’s intervention came at a critical stage of the election, with voting completed and electoral officials moving into the sorting and collation of results.
Davido has consistently used his large social media following to campaign for his uncle and encourage voters to protect their votes.
On Saturday, he called on Osun residents to remain vigilant throughout the night and urged security agencies to remain present at electoral locations.
He also raised concerns about the uploading of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, commonly known as IReV, earlier in the day.
Davido questioned why results were not being uploaded quickly and called on INEC to provide transparency and timely updates to Nigerians. He also encouraged voters to remain at their polling units until results had been properly recorded and uploaded.
His comments reflected the heightened tension surrounding the election as supporters of the major political parties waited for official results.
Adeleke takes early lead
Davido’s confidence came as early figures from the ongoing collation showed Governor Ademola Adeleke taking an early lead.
According to figures reported during the collation process, Adeleke had accumulated 177,572 votes at the time of the report, although the final result had not been declared because collation was still continuing across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The election recorded 361,500 accredited voters out of 845,100 registered voters, representing a turnout of approximately 42.8 per cent.
A total of about 351,500 valid votes had been recorded, while approximately 7,200 ballots were rejected, according to figures available during the ongoing collation. INEC also reported that 43.41 per cent of polling units had submitted results at that stage.
The figures remained subject to the official collation process, meaning that no candidate could be conclusively described as the winner until INEC completes the exercise and formally announces the result.
‘Osun no be Edo’
Davido’s reference to Edo State is connected to the political exchanges that have intensified between him and Governor Monday Okpebholo in the build-up to the Osun election.
The Edo governor had previously criticised Governor Adeleke, including comments about the Osun governor’s well-known habit of dancing at public events.
Davido responded to the criticism and the dispute subsequently became part of the wider political conversation surrounding the Osun election.
The singer’s latest statement, “Osun no be Edo,” was therefore interpreted as a direct political jab at the APC and those who had drawn comparisons between the political situations in the two states.
The exchange has added a celebrity dimension to an election that has already attracted significant national attention.
Davido’s involvement has also demonstrated the growing role of entertainers and social media personalities in Nigerian political campaigns, particularly when they have strong personal connections to political candidates.
APC remains in the race
Despite Davido’s declaration of confidence, the APC remains a major contender in the Osun election, and the final outcome cannot be determined from early results or social media declarations.
The APC candidate in the election is Bola Oyebamiji, while several other candidates are also competing for the governorship.
The collation process is therefore crucial because results from all local government areas must be properly verified before INEC can announce the final winner.
Davido’s statement represents the position of a supporter of Governor Adeleke rather than an official declaration by the electoral commission.
As the counting continues, supporters of the various candidates are expected to closely monitor the collation process and await INEC’s official announcement.
Political tension rises
The 2026 Osun election has been characterised by intense political competition, with accusations, counter-accusations and social media exchanges dominating parts of the campaign.
Earlier in the day, concerns were also raised over the recording of votes at a polling unit after an Osun resident alleged that a figure entered for the Accord Party was initially written incorrectly before being corrected.
According to a report citing a video shared by News Central TV, the resident alleged that the Accord Party had secured 212 votes at the affected polling unit while the APC recorded 107. He claimed that the Accord figure was initially written as 012 before being corrected to 212 and signed.
Such incidents have increased calls for transparency as the electoral process moves from voting to collation.
The focus is now shifting from the individual polling units to the official collation centres, where returning officers are expected to verify and announce results from the various local government areas.
Davido calls for vigilance
Beyond celebrating the early figures favouring his uncle, Davido has repeatedly urged voters and supporters to remain alert.
His message is that the election should not be considered concluded until the official process has been completed.
The singer has also expressed concerns about the presence of security personnel and the protection of election materials during the collation process.
His intervention comes at a time when social media has become a major platform for real-time election information in Nigeria.
However, social media claims can move faster than verified electoral information, making it important for voters to distinguish between statements from political supporters and official results released by INEC.
For now, Davido’s declaration that “we are winning” remains a statement of confidence rather than an official confirmation of victory.
What happens next?
The next major step is the completion of result collation across Osun State.
INEC must receive, verify and collate results from the various polling units and local government areas before the final state-wide figures can be declared.
As of the latest available reports, the commission had uploaded a substantial number of results to its electronic results portal, but the process was still ongoing.
The outcome will determine whether Governor Ademola Adeleke secures another term or whether the APC succeeds in taking control of the state.
For Davido, however, the message is already clear: he believes his uncle is on course for victory.
His declaration, “Shame APC, Osun no be Edo,” has added another dramatic chapter to an already closely watched election.
With the final results yet to be declared, political parties, candidates, observers and voters will now wait for INEC to complete the collation process and announce the official winner.
Until then, Adeleke’s reported lead remains an early result, while Davido’s celebration remains the reaction of a highly influential supporter.
Sources
- Punch — reporting on Davido’s statement and the ongoing Osun election collation.
- Punch — report on INEC’s uploading of Osun election results.
- Punch — report on Davido’s concerns over delays in uploading election results.
- Vanguard — report on Davido’s response to Edo Governor Monday Okpebholo.
