ADO-EKITI – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared the incumbent Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, the winner of the Saturday, June 20, 2026, governorship election.
The landslide victory secures Oyebanji a second four-year term and marks a historic milestone: he becomes the very first incumbent governor in the history of Ekiti State to successfully win a re-election bid.
The state Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji (Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure), announced the final collation at the INEC headquarters in Ado-Ekiti in the early hours of Sunday, June 21.
A Statewide Sweep
Oyebanji, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), completely dominated the polls, winning overwhelmingly across all 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs). He amassed a total of 319,224 votes, leaving his closest rivals trailing at a distance.
Dr. Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finished second with 40,543 votes, while Chief Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured third place with 12,872 votes.
According to the official data released by INEC, a total of 384,940 voters were accredited out of the 988,251 registered voters in the state. From the 382,109 total votes cast, 375,777 were counted as valid, while 6,332 votes were rejected across the state’s 2,445 polling units.
The Final Tally (Political Parties)
- APC – 319,224
- PDP – 40,543
- ADC – 12,872
- ADP – 1,269
- A – 564
- LP – 276
- AAC – 195
- SDP – 179
- PRP – 163
- AA – 126
- ZLP – 113
- YPP – 98
- APP – 61
- APM – 59
- NNPP – 35
Local Government Breakdown
The comprehensive territorial results verified by the electoral commission demonstrate the APC’s broad-based appeal across both urban centers and rural strongholds:
- Ado LG: APC – 38,026 | PDP – 3,817 | ADC – 1,054
- Irepodun/Ifelodun LG: APC – 29,278 | PDP – 2,119 | ADC – 511 (Note: Minor unit-level cancellations occurred here due to isolated over-voting).
- Ekiti West LG: APC – 28,258 | PDP – 3,644 | ADC – 674
- Ikole LG: APC – 26,508 | PDP – 750 | ADC – 812
- Ijero LG: APC – 25,506 | PDP – 2,479 | ADC – 2,026
- Moba LG: APC – 20,500 | PDP – 1,572 | ADC – 994
- Oye LG: APC – 18,975 | PDP – 2,891 | ADC – 998
- Ido-Osi LG: APC – 17,901 | PDP – 1,449 | ADC – 561
- Ayekire (Gbonyin) LG: APC – 17,133 | PDP – 1,503 | ADC – 314
- Ekiti Southwest LG: APC – 14,705 | PDP – 1,800 | ADC – 1,076
- Emure LG: APC – 14,325 | PDP – 851 | ADC – 732
- Ise-Orun LG: APC – 12,908 | PDP – 1,627 | ADC – 365
- Ikere LG: APC – 11,116 | PDP – 9,872 | ADC – 245
- Ilejemeje LG: APC – 8,984 | PDP – 1,243 | ADC – 578
- Efon LG: APC – 8,742 | PDP – 2,051 | ADC – 201
Mixed Reactons from Observers
While voter turnout was steady and the atmosphere remained generally peaceful across the state, civil society groups and election observation networks noted a combination of positives and persistent flaws. Security agencies were widely commended for maintaining law and order, and INEC was praised for the swift deployment of personnel and materials.
However, observers also raised concerns regarding incidents of vote-buying and localized voter intimidation, alongside minor internet connectivity delays that briefly slowed down the upload of polling data to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Saturday evening.
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In his acceptance speech, Governor Oyebanji extended deep gratitude to the people of Ekiti State for renewing their mandate and extending a vote of confidence in his administration’s first-term developmental projects. He promised to expand infrastructure, healthcare, and educational programs while calling on his political opponents to join hands with him for the advancement of the state.
