By Peter Effiom
The current governor, Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been formally proclaimed the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Adenike Oladiji, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure, who served as the election’s Returning Officer, stated that Oyebanji won a landslide re-election on Saturday, June 20, 2026, sweeping all 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
Official statistics show that 375,777 of the 384,940 voters who were accredited cast legitimate ballots. The APC’s Biodun Oyebanji won the race with 319,224 votes, and nearly 85% of all legitimate votes cast.
With 40,543 votes, Dr. Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came in second, and Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came in third with 12,872 votes.
Oyebanji becomes the first governor to win re-election since the beginning of the present democratic dispensation in May 1999, securing a second term in office.
The Nigeria Police Force put in place extensive security measures to ensure tranquillity at the voting places. Many voters and observers praised security services for keeping the peace for the majority of the exercise.
Allegations of impropriety, technological difficulties, and orderly voting were all reported.
Concerns about alleged vote-buying in certain areas of the state, inconsistent voting materials, and procedural anomalies were voiced by a few independent groups and civic observers.
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