The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the election and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday, declaring that Oyebanji secured 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challengers in the contest conducted across the state’s 16 local government areas.
According to the results announced by INEC, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oluwole Oluyede, polled 40,543 votes, while the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Dare Bejide, garnered 12,872 votes.
Oladiji said 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. She added that 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration brought to a close a keenly contested governorship election in which voters across the state turned out on Saturday to elect a governor amid a generally peaceful atmosphere despite reports of technical challenges and allegations of irregularities in some locations.
INEC had earlier disclosed that all 2,445 polling units designated for the governorship election opened for voting.
According to the commission, 2,257 polling units, representing 92.31 per cent, commenced voting before 8:30 a.m., while 188 polling units, representing 7.69 per cent, experienced minor delays but opened before 10:30 a.m.
The commission also uploaded polling unit results to its Result Viewing Portal after voting and counting were concluded in various locations across the state.
Before the final declaration, the PDP candidate, Oluyede, expressed dissatisfaction with developments at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area.
Speaking with journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 006, he alleged that many voters were unable to vote due to challenges associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
He also alleged voter harassment and intimidation in the area.
The ADC candidate, Bejide, similarly raised concerns over alleged irregularities during the election.
However, Oyebanji dismissed the allegations, insisting that those making such claims should provide evidence to support them.
Speaking after casting his vote at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, the governor described the conduct of the election as satisfactory and urged eligible voters to participate peacefully in the democratic process.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of election security, CP Abayomi Shogunle, also stated that no case of vote-buying was officially reported during the exercise.
Voting ended before 3 p.m. in several polling units, after which sorting and counting of ballots commenced.
At Polling Unit 008, Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, counting began at about 2:37 p.m. but was briefly disrupted following disagreements among party agents and supporters over the validity of some ballot papers.
Security personnel later intervened to restore order.
Election observers generally commended the conduct of the exercise while drawing attention to certain procedural concerns.
The First Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Sebastian Anyia, described the process as peaceful and orderly, expressing satisfaction with the voter turnout recorded across the state.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, praised the commitment of female voters who turned out in large numbers despite the challenges encountered during the exercise.
Election monitoring group Yiaga Africa also commended aspects of the process but raised concerns over discrepancies involving ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates.
The group warned that the inconsistencies could create confusion during collation and documentation of election results and urged the electoral commission to provide clear guidance to electoral officials.
In response, INEC explained that 19 political parties were retained on the ballot paper to avoid the cost of printing fresh ballot papers following court rulings and last-minute adjustments affecting some parties and candidates.
Ahead of the election, the commission repeatedly assured residents of its readiness to conduct a credible and transparent poll.
Security agencies also intensified deployments across the state, with the Nigeria Police Force leading a multi-agency operation to secure polling units, collation centres and other strategic locations.
Authorities imposed restrictions on vehicular movement during voting hours and warned political actors against violence, vote-buying and other electoral offences.
With the declaration of the final result, Oyebanji secured a second term as governor after recording victory over his opponents in all 16 local government areas of the state.
A breakdown of the results announced by INEC showed that the APC candidate dominated the poll across the state.
Moba LGA: APC 20,500; PDP 1,572; ADC 994.
Ekiti East LGA: APC 26,359; PDP 2,795; ADC 1,730.
Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA: APC 29,278; PDP 2,119; ADC 511.
Ikole LGA: APC 26,508; PDP 750; ADC 812.
Aiyekire (Gbonyin) LGA: APC 17,133; PDP 1,563; ADC 314.
Oye LGA: APC 18,975; PDP 2,891; ADC 998.
Ise/Orun LGA: APC 12,908; PDP 1,627; ADC 365.
Ilejemeje LGA: APC 8,984; PDP 1,243; ADC 579.
Ado Ekiti LGA: APC 38,026; PDP 3,817; ADC 1,054.
Ekiti West LGA: APC 28,258; PDP 3,644; ADC 674.
Ido-Osi LGA: APC 17,901; PDP 1,449; ADC 561.
Ekiti South-West LGA: APC 14,705; PDP 1,800; ADC 1,076.
Ikere LGA: APC 11,116; PDP 9,892; ADC 245.
Ijero LGA: APC 25,506; PDP 2,479; ADC 2,026.
Efon LGA: APC 8,742; PDP 2,051; ADC 201.
Emure LGA: APC 14,325; PDP 851; ADC 732.
Final Results
APC (Biodun Oyebanji) – 319,224
PDP (Oluwole Oluyede) – 40,543
ADC (Dare Bejide) – 12,872
Accredited voters – 384,940
Valid votes – 375,777
Rejected votes – 6,332
Total votes cast – 382,109.
