Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election held on Saturday, securing a decisive victory across the state’s 16 local government areas.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, announced the result in the early hours of Sunday at the State Collation Centre in Ado-Ekiti.
Declaring the result, Oladiji said Governor Oyebanji, having satisfied the requirements of the law, was duly elected and returned for a second term in office.
According to the final results announced by INEC, Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes, defeating his closest challengers, Olumayokun Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 40,533 votes, and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who garnered 12,872 votes.
INEC disclosed that out of the state’s 988,251 registered voters, 384,940 voters were accredited, while 382,109 votes were cast. The election recorded 375,777 valid votes.
The APC candidate dominated voting across all 16 local government areas, including Ikere Local Government Area, the hometown of PDP candidate Oluyede. In Ikere LGA, Oyebanji polled 11,116 votes, while the PDP candidate secured 9,872 votes.
The results further underscored the APC’s strong political hold on the state, with Oyebanji recording substantial victories in key local governments, including Ado, Ekiti West, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ikole, Oye, and Moba.
Political observers described the outcome as a strong endorsement of the governor’s administration and development agenda, making him one of the few governors in Ekiti’s democratic history to secure re-election with such a commanding margin.
With the declaration, Governor Oyebanji is set to begin a fresh four-year mandate, continuing the implementation of his administration’s policies and programmes aimed at advancing governance, infrastructure development, economic growth, and social welfare across Ekiti State.
