Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been re-elected governor of Ekiti State.
The victory makes Oyebanji the first sitting governor in the state’s history to secure re-election as an incumbent.
Oyebanji wins all 16 LGAs
The incumbent recorded a landslide victory in the governorship election held on Saturday.
Furthermore, he defeated his rivals in all 16 local government areas of the state.
Adenike Oladiji, INEC’s returning officer, announced the result at the state collation centre in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday.
According to Oladiji, Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes.
Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 40,543 votes.
Meanwhile, Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 12,872 votes.
Voter turnout below 40 percent
INEC said 988,251 voters were registered for the election.
However, only 384,940 voters were accredited.
The commission added that 375,777 votes were validly cast.
In addition, 6,332 ballots were rejected.
Overall, the election recorded 382,109 total votes cast.
Vote-buying allegations trail poll
Although the election was largely peaceful, allegations of vote-buying surfaced in some polling units.
Several parties also raised concerns about voter suppression during the exercise.
Meanwhile, some voters experienced difficulties with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
The glitches reportedly affected elderly voters more severely.
Historic victory
Oyebanji, 58, was first elected governor on June 18, 2022.
Subsequently, he was sworn into office in October of the same year.
His victory in the 2026 governorship election now makes him the first incumbent governor in Ekiti to win a second term while in office.
