Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election, securing a landslide re-election for a second term in office with a decisive victory across all 16 local government areas of the state. The Returning Officer for the election, Professor Adenike Oladiji, Vice‑Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), announced the final results in the early hours of Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the INEC headquarters on Iyin Road in Ado‑Ekiti.
Declaring the results, Professor Oladiji stated: “Therefore, I, Adenike, am the returning officer for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election…Oyebanji Abiodun Abayomi, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and stands re‑elected.” According to the final collated results, Governor Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes, defeating his closest challengers in a contest that saw 14 candidates vying for the state's top seat. Dr. Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came a distant second with 40,543 votes, while Ambassador Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) garnered 12,872 votes. Other candidates, including those from the Labour Party (LP), Accord Party, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), recorded minor figures, with the Accord Party candidate, Opeyemi David Falegan, securing 564 votes.
The APC candidate's victory was decisive and comprehensive. He won in all 16 local government areas of the state, including Efon Local Government Area, the home council of his main challenger, PDP candidate Oluyede. In Efon LGA, the APC polled 8,742 votes, while the PDP secured 2,051 votes and the ADC garnered 201 votes. In Ado‑Ekiti, the state capital, Oyebanji secured a massive 38,026 votes, with the PDP managing 3,817 votes. Other strong performances were recorded in Irepodun/Ifelodun (29,278 votes), Ekiti West (28,258 votes), Ikole (26,508 votes), and Ijero (25,506 votes). The PDP's strongest showing came in Ikere Local Government Area, where it polled 9,892 votes against the APC's 11,116 votes.
A total of 988,251 voters were registered for the election, with 384,940 accredited to participate. Out of the 382,109 votes cast, 375,777 were declared valid, while 6,332 votes were rejected. The election, which began at about 8:31 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, officially ended at 2:30 p.m., with more than 300,000 voters casting their ballots. Civil society organisations commended the generally peaceful conduct of the poll, even as they raised concerns over incidents of vote‑buying and voter intimidation in some local government areas.
Governor Oyebanji, whose first‑term mandate expires in October, becomes the first governor in Ekiti State to win a re‑election bid since the return of democratic rule in 1999, breaking the state’s long‑standing succession jinx. In his reaction, the governor described his re‑election as a humbling vote of confidence from the people of Ekiti. Speaking after the declaration, he pledged to continue delivering dividends of democracy to every household, emphasising continuity, stability and development.
The outcome represents a significant consolidation of political power for the APC in the South‑West, reinforcing the party's dominance in the region ahead of the 2027 general elections. For the PDP and other opposition parties, the results will prompt a period of introspection as they assess the scale of the defeat and the factors that contributed to Oyebanji's overwhelming victory. With the election now concluded, attention shifts to the formal handover and the beginning of the governor's second term, which is expected to focus on completing ongoing infrastructure projects and deepening the state's economic development agenda.
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