The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the election, Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday, declaring that Oyebanji secured a total of 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals in the contest conducted across the state’s 16 local government areas.
Oladiji, a professor and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, said the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, scored 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 12,872 votes.
She further disclosed that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded.
According to her, 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration brought to a close a closely watched governorship election in which voters across Ekiti State turned out on Saturday to elect a governor amid a generally peaceful atmosphere, despite reports of technical challenges and allegations of irregularities in some locations.
