The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the APC as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Announcing the results in the early hours of Sunday, the Returning Officer, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, said Oyebanji secured 319,224 votes to defeat PDP candidate Oluwole Oluyede, who polled 40,543 votes, and ADC candidate Dare Bejide, who scored 12,872 votes.
According to INEC, 384,940 voters were accredited, with 375,777 valid votes recorded. A total of 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the overall votes cast to 382,109.
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The election, held across Ekiti’s 16 local government areas, was largely peaceful, although there were reports of BVAS-related challenges and allegations of irregularities in some locations. INEC stated that all 2,445 polling units opened for voting, with over 92 percent commencing operations before 8:30 a.m.
PDP candidate Oluyede alleged that BVAS issues prevented many voters from casting their ballots and also raised concerns about voter intimidation in parts of Ikere LGA. ADC candidate Bejide similarly complained of irregularities during the exercise.
However, Oyebanji dismissed the claims, insisting that anyone making such allegations should provide evidence. He described the election as satisfactory and commended voters for their participation.
The Commissioner of Police overseeing the election, CP Abayomi Shogunle, said no case of vote-buying was reported. While voting and counting were generally orderly, security personnel intervened in a few polling units where disagreements and delays caused tension before calm was restored.
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