Incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been re-elected as governor of Ekiti State after recording a sweeping victory in Saturday’s governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Oyebanji winner in the early hours of Sunday after he secured 319,224 votes and won in all 16 local government areas of the state.
Oyebanji Defeats PDP, ADC Candidates
INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced that the APC candidate defeated his closest rivals by a wide margin.
According to the results, Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 40,543 votes, while Oluwadare Patrick Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 12,872 votes.
A total of 375,777 valid votes were recorded, while 6,332 votes were rejected. About 384,940 voters were accredited for the election.
Oyebanji’s total represented nearly 85 per cent of valid votes cast, underlining the APC’s dominance in the poll.
Historic Re-Election Victory
The outcome marks a major political milestone in Ekiti State.
Oyebanji has become the first governor since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999 to win re-election and secure a second consecutive term in office.
Political observers have long described Ekiti as a state with strong anti-incumbency tendencies, making the governor’s victory particularly significant.
Election Day and Voting Process
Voting took place across the state’s 16 local government areas, 177 wards and 2,445 polling units.
Election observers reported largely peaceful conduct, with INEC officials and security personnel deployed across voting centres. Accreditation and voting were conducted using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
While the process was generally peaceful, there were reports of isolated cases of vote-buying, voter inducement and minor technical issues in some locations.
INEC also uploaded polling unit results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) during the collation process.
Reactions Trail Victory
Reacting to the outcome, Oyebanji described the result as a vote of confidence in his administration and pledged to continue delivering on his campaign promises.
The election attracted 14 candidates, although the APC, PDP and ADC accounted for the overwhelming majority of votes cast.
Opposition parties are yet to formally announce whether they will challenge the outcome in court.