How Primate Ayodele predicted Adeleke’s victory back-to-back since 2025
Long before the #OsunDecides2026 was held, Primate Elijah Ayodele had predicted that Governor Ademola Adeleke would retain his seat.
Another prediction for Accord
Message during the election
Adeleke eventually wins
Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, was on Sunday declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
The governor secured 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes.
However, months before the election, Primate Ayodele had publicly predicted that Adeleke would win a second term.
February 2025 prediction
Ayodele made one of his earliest predictions about the election in February 2025 when Adeleke attended the annual thanksgiving programme of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church in Lagos.
During the event, Ayodele told the governor that he would win the 2026 governorship election, regardless of the candidate fielded by the APC.
He also specifically mentioned former governor Gboyega Oyetola, who had been defeated by Adeleke in the 2022 election.
“If All Progressive Congress (APC) should field Oyetola come 2026, he will still lose. Anybody the APC fields for the race, Adeleke will beat him. It is divine,” he said.
Ayodele also said the governor would retain his position even if President Bola Tinubu campaigned for the APC candidate.
“I am now giving you God’s words that you, Governor Adeleke, will win the 2026 governorship election, no matter how it may be,” he said.
The governor later emerged as the Accord Party candidate after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while the APC eventually nominated Oyebamiji.
Prediction on APC
As the election drew closer, Ayodele continued to speak about the contest.
In one of his video messages, he said the APC would not defeat Adeleke unless the election was manipulated.
“Osun election, I am being honest to every Nigerian. Except there is rigging, APC will not win,” he said.
Warning to APC, ADC
Ayodele also addressed the candidates of the APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), advising them against what he described as unnecessary spending on the election.
He maintained that Adeleke would emerge victorious but expressed concern about the role INEC could play in the process.
“As the Lord directs, let me advise the gubernatorial aspirants in Osun: don’t waste your money,” he said.
He added that the ADC candidate would not win and maintained that the contest would eventually be decided in favour of Accord.
Another prediction for Accord
In another video released ahead of the election, Ayodele again ruled out victory for the APC and ADC, predicting that the Accord Party would win.
“APC will not win Osun; I stand by the word. Not ADC, not APC, but Accord,” he said.
He also called on INEC to ensure that the electoral process was not compromised.
Message during the election
As voting and collation got underway on August 15, Ayodele again spoke about the election, urging Adeleke and his supporters to remain vigilant until the final result was announced.
He predicted that Adeleke would win but warned the governor not to relax before the conclusion of the process.
“Adeleke, you are winning the election; don’t sleep now because APC wants to do nasty things. You must be on alert,” he said.
Adeleke eventually wins
The election was conducted across the state’s 30 local government areas, with Adeleke eventually emerging ahead of Oyebamiji.
The Accord candidate secured 511,067 votes to defeat the APC candidate, who polled 444,815 votes.
With the final declaration, Ayodele’s earlier statements about the outcome of the election have now drawn renewed attention, particularly the prediction he made in February 2025, more than a year before the governorship poll.
The various videos of his statements have since resurfaced following Adeleke’s victory.
