The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the election, Professor 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 across the state’s 16 local government areas.
Oladiji, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, polled 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) garnered 12,872 votes.
According to the INEC Returning Officer, 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. A total of 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration concluded a closely watched governorship election that was largely peaceful despite reports of technical glitches and allegations of irregularities in some areas.
Mixed reactions during voting
Voting commenced across all 2,445 polling units in the state, with INEC reporting that 92.31 per cent of the units opened before 8:30 a.m., while the remaining polling units experienced minor delays but commenced voting before 10:30 a.m.
During the exercise, PDP candidate Oluwole Oluyede raised concerns over alleged BVAS-related challenges at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, claiming that some voters were unable to cast their ballots due to accreditation difficulties.
Oluyede also alleged incidents of voter intimidation and harassment.
Similarly, ADC candidate Dare Bejide accused the ruling APC of electoral irregularities during the poll.
Governor Oyebanji, however, dismissed the allegations, insisting that anyone making such claims should provide evidence. He described the election as satisfactory and urged voters to participate peacefully.
The Commissioner of Police overseeing election security, CP Abayomi Shogunle, also stated that no case of vote-buying was officially reported to security agencies during the exercise.
Observers raise concerns
Election observers generally commended the peaceful conduct of the poll and the level of voter participation.
The First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Sebastian Anyia, described the process as orderly and expressed optimism that the peaceful atmosphere would be sustained throughout the election.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, also praised the determination of women voters, noting their strong turnout at several polling units.
However, election monitoring group Yiaga Africa raised concerns over discrepancies involving ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates.
The group warned that inconsistencies in electoral materials could create confusion during voting, result documentation and collation.
INEC explained that 19 political parties were retained on the ballot paper following court rulings and administrative adjustments, saying the decision was taken to avoid the cost of reprinting ballot materials.
Security agencies, led by the Nigeria Police Force, maintained a heavy presence across the state throughout the exercise, with no major security incidents recorded.
With the declaration of the final result, Oyebanji has secured a second term as governor of Ekiti State, extending the APC’s hold on power in the state.
