President Bola Tinubu reached out to congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election in Osun State even before the Independent National Electoral Commission formally announced the result, according to the Accord Party’s campaign spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi.

Speaking to journalists at the INEC collation centre in Osogbo shortly after Adeleke was declared winner, Olajengbesi said the President’s call came through on Saturday night, hours ahead of the official declaration made early Sunday morning.

“Let me tell you this quickly: even before the result was declared yesterday night, Mr President called Mr Governor and congratulated him, and that is good leadership,” he said, framing the gesture as evidence of Tinubu’s commitment to democratic norms and his decision not to interfere in the electoral process.

Olajengbesi went further, commending the President for what he described as allowing the Osun poll to run its course without presidential pressure on the outcome, arguing this reflected Tinubu’s earlier pledge to INEC and security agencies that the election would be free, fair and credible. He did, however, temper his praise for the process itself, noting that while the election could be considered credible, it fell short of being entirely free and fair, pointing to alleged incidents of intimidation and the arrest of opposition supporters during the exercise.

Adeleke himself later confirmed the President’s outreach, telling reporters that Tinubu had personally called to congratulate him and thanking him for what he called a demonstration of respect for democracy. The disclosure has stirred conversation online, with some Nigerians questioning how the President could have learned of a winner before results were officially collated and declared, and what that implies about the transparency of the process. INEC’s official figures showed Adeleke polling 511,067 votes to defeat APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815, a margin of 66,252 votes, with the Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, making the formal declaration at approximately 7:24am on Sunday.

The revelation adds a new layer to an already closely watched contest, coming as Adeleke continues to await a congratulatory call of his own from Oyebamiji, whom he has yet to hear from directly since the result was announced.