The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of political parties and candidates cleared to participate in the August 8, 2026, governorship election in Osun State.

In a statement issued on Friday, the commission’s Public Relations Officer in the state, Musa Olurode, said 14 political parties successfully conducted their primaries and uploaded the names and particulars of their governorship and deputy governorship candidates within the stipulated deadline.

The parties cleared for the poll include Accord Party (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressive Party (YPP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Notably, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) were absent from the list released by the electoral body.

Olurode explained that the publication of the final list was in line with INEC’s timetable and schedule of activities ahead of the governorship poll. According to him, the full list of governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the cleared parties has been published on the commission’s website and displayed on its notice boards in Osogbo.

From the list, the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, retained his current deputy, Kola Adewusi, as his running mate on the platform of the Accord Party.

The candidate of the APC, Bola Oyebamiji, named Benjamin Adereti as his running mate. Adereti was the party’s 2023 House of Representatives candidate for the Ife Federal Constituency but lost the election to the incumbent, Bimbo Ajilesoro, who contested under the PDP before later defecting to the APC.

Adereti replaced former Chief Whip of the Osun State House of Assembly, Tunde Olatunji, who had appeared on the commission’s earlier list.

Also on the final list, the ADC candidate, Najeem Salam, selected Yemisi Agiri as his running mate.

Similarly, the ZLP candidate, Adesuyi Olufemi, picked Abdulsalam Olamide, while the AAC candidate, Esan Olamide, named Bello Muideen Yekeen as running mate.

INEC noted that the release of the final list marks another milestone in preparations for the 2026 Osun governorship election.