APC Vows Issue-Based Campaign, INEC Tightens Preparations

The All Progressives Congress pledged on Sunday to run strictly issue-based campaigns ahead of the June 20, 2026, Ekiti State governorship election, as the Independent National Electoral Commission intensified its logistical and security preparations for the vote now less than two weeks away.

APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said the ruling party remained confident in the record of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who is seeking a second term against candidates from 11 other political parties. Morka said the APC would focus its campaign message on infrastructure delivery, education investment, and economic development rather than engaging in the political mudslinging that had characterised the exchanges between other parties.

INEC separately confirmed that all 16 local government areas of Ekiti State had been covered in its PVC collection sensitisation drive and urged all registered voters yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards to do so immediately. The commission warned that no voter would be allowed to cast a ballot without a valid PVC on election day.

PDP Fights on Two Fronts

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party continued to battle on two fronts as its gubernatorial candidate Oluwole Oluyede mounted a public campaign while simultaneously managing the fallout from former Governor Ayo Fayose’s controversial comments. Fayose had previously alleged on national television that the Oyo State government orchestrated the school abduction to embarrass President Tinubu, a claim the PDP candidate distanced himself from publicly. The internal friction is seen as complicating the opposition’s efforts to present a united front against the APC.

Ekiti State government officials said security agencies had been fully briefed and would deploy extensively across all polling units on election day to ensure a peaceful exercise. A coalition of groups called Ekiti 2026 urged INEC and all security agencies to maintain strict neutrality, saying the credibility of the exercise would be judged not only by the result but by the process through which it was conducted.

Furthermore, okada and tricycle riders in Ekiti publicly pledged their support to Governor Oyebanji, describing his administration as friendly to the commercial transport sector. However, opposition parties dismissed the show of support as staged, arguing that the majority of Ekiti residents were concerned about unemployment, road infrastructure, and the cost of living. Notably, analysts widely expect the APC to win re-election given the fractured state of the opposition and the structural advantages of incumbency. Consequently, the key question for the June 20 vote is no longer whether Oyebanji will win, but by how wide a margin.

Osun August Poll Looms

In addition, political attention is already beginning to shift toward the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026. The APC in Osun said recent defections from its ranks would not derail its chances at the polls, insisting that the party remained united and focused on delivering a strong performance. As a result, the next two months will see back-to-back governorship campaigns in two southwestern states, making the region a key political battleground heading into the 2027 cycle.