The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, has been declared the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election following a decisive victory across the state’s 16 local government areas.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the result in the early hours of Sunday, with the Returning Officer, Adenike Oladiji, officially declaring Oyebanji re-elected after securing 319,224 votes.
According to the final results released at the State Collation Centre, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, garnered 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Party (ADP) polled 12,872 votes.
Oladiji disclosed that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election. Of the ballots cast, 375,777 were declared valid, while 6,332 were rejected.
Voting commenced at approximately 8:31 a.m. on Saturday and concluded officially at 2:30 p.m., with turnout exceeding 300,000 voters across the state.
Results collated from all 16 local government areas showed overwhelming support for the APC candidate, who recorded substantial margins in key councils, including Ado, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ekiti West, Ikole, and Ekiti East.
In Ado Local Government, the APC secured 38,026 votes against the PDP’s 3,817 and ADC’s 1,054. The party also dominated Ekiti West with 28,258 votes and Irepodun/Ifelodun with 29,278 votes.
Other local government results reflected a similar pattern, with Oyebanji maintaining commanding leads across the state, underscoring the APC’s strong political foothold in Ekiti.
The declaration confirms Oyebanji’s return for another term as governor, following an election that was largely concluded after the collation of results from all local government areas.
INEC is expected to issue the governor-elect with a Certificate of Return in accordance with electoral procedures.
