The Independent National Electoral Commission declared incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress winner of the Ekiti State governorship election in the early hours of Sunday, June 21, 2026, after he polled 319,224 votes and swept all 16 local government areas of the state in one of the most decisive governorship victories in Ekiti’s history.
Chief Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Professor Adenike Oladiji, announced the results at 3:13 a.m. in Ado-Ekiti. Oyebanji defeated PDP candidate Dr Wole Oluyede, who polled 40,543 votes, by a margin of 278,681 votes, while ADC candidate Dare Bejide came third with 12,872 votes. A total of 384,940 voters were accredited from 988,251 registered voters, with 375,777 valid votes cast.
APC Dominates Urban and Rural Blocs
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Oyebanji recorded his strongest showing in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, where he polled 38,026 votes against the PDP’s 3,817. He also dominated in Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ekiti West, and Ikole, winning comfortably in every local government area. The PDP’s best performance came from Ikere, the home local government of candidate Oluyede, where the party polled 9,892 votes but still lost to Oyebanji’s 11,116.
Speaking after his declaration, Oyebanji described the result as a humbling vote of confidence from the people of Ekiti. ‘I pledge to honour this immense trust by continuing to lead with humility, dedication and fairness,’ he said, adding that his second term would focus on consolidating ongoing projects and introducing new initiatives to improve the lives of all Ekiti residents.
Observers Flag Vote-Buying Concerns
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However, the EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub commended the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System while expressing concern over reported incidents of vote-buying, voter intimidation, and ballot-paper irregularities. The Nigerian Situation Room separately revealed that vote-buying tactics had evolved beyond physical cash, with digital transfers used in some polling areas. President Tinubu congratulated Oyebanji on his victory. Consequently, the result delivers a significant early win for the APC as both parties gear up for the larger 2027 election cycle.
