By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, James Kwen, Helen Foster, Abuja, and Alo Abiola, Ado-Ekiti
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the incumbent governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
By this feat, Oyebanji has made history as the first governor of the state to secure back-to-back re-election victories since the creation of Ekiti State in 1996.
He not only won the majority of votes cast but also secured victory in all 177 wards and the 16 local government areas of the state.
The Returning Officer for the election and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Professor Adenike Oladiji, announced the result in the early hours of Sunday at the INEC headquarters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
“That Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Prof. Oladiji declared.
The APC candidate polled 319,224 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes to finish a distant second.
The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ambassador Dare Bejide, came third with 12,872 votes.
Results for the other political parties showed that the APP candidate scored 61 votes; PRP, 163; YPP, 98; NNPP, 35; AAC, 195; Accord, 564; AA, 126; APM, 59; ZLP, 113; LP, 276; SDP, 179; and ADP, 1,269.
In his reaction to the declaration, Governor Oyebanji promised to serve the people better than before.
He said: “I have a proper understanding of the responsibility that has been placed on our shoulders. It is the responsibility of service—continuous service to the people—and I assure them that I will serve with courage, compassion, humility and the fear of God.
“So, they should continue to expect better service from us as we conclude the first term and prepare for the second term.”
The governor said his administration would continue to be guided by the state’s 30-Year Development Plan.
“We will continue to implement the plan. We cannot depart from it, but where there are issues to be accommodated, we will review it accordingly. The people should expect a detailed implementation of the 30-Year Development Plan,” he said.
However, his victory has attracted mixed reactions.
The governorship candidate of the ADC, Ambassador Dare Bejide, rejected the outcome, describing the exercise as lacking credibility.
Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Bejide alleged that the election was fraught with irregularities.
He said: “In some polling units, including mine, the atmosphere was almost like a war zone.
“Political appointees, alongside a serving senator, allegedly brought in thugs, as well as both fake and genuine policemen. In some places, it appeared as though the election was taking place only in my polling unit. It is a sad day for democracy.
“Vote-buying was carried out openly. Bags of money were brought to polling units and, from what we observed, enormous sums were spent. To me, this reflects a failure on the part of the government. If they had performed well, there would have been no need to rely on money to influence voters.
