Biodun Oyebanji Wins Ekiti Governorship Election
INEC has declared Biodun Oyebanji the winner of the Ekiti governorship election with a commanding lead.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji has secured victory in the 2026 Ekiti governorship election, according to the official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The declaration came in the early hours of Sunday, with the Returning Officer, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, confirming that the APC candidate polled 319,224 votes. His closest rival, Oluwole Oluyede of the PDP, received 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the ADC garnered 12,872 votes.
INEC reported that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election. The commission also recorded 375,777 valid votes, while 6,332 ballots were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 382,109.
The Ekiti governorship election took place across the state’s 16 local government areas and was generally peaceful. However, some challenges emerged during the process, including reports of issues involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and allegations of irregularities in certain locations.
According to INEC, all 2,445 polling units opened for voting, with more than 92 per cent commencing operations before 8:30 a.m. The commission described the overall conduct of the exercise as orderly.
Following the announcement of the results, PDP candidate Oluwole Oluyede alleged that BVAS-related problems prevented many voters from casting their ballots. He also raised concerns about alleged voter intimidation in parts of Ikere Local Government Area. ADC candidate Dare Bejide similarly expressed concerns about irregularities during the election.
Responding to the allegations, Biodun Oyebanji rejected the claims and maintained that those making such accusations should provide evidence. He described the Ekiti governorship election as satisfactory and praised residents for participating in the democratic process.
Meanwhile, CP Abayomi Shogunle, who oversaw election security, stated that authorities recorded no cases of vote-buying. He added that security personnel only intervened in a few locations where disagreements and delays briefly created tension before normalcy returned.
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