Ekiti 2026: INEC Declares Oyebanji Winner As APC Sweeps 16 LGAs

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the incumbent Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, as the winner of Saturday governorship election in the state.

The electoral commission officially announced the Oyebanji as the winner of the poll on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, after the completion of collation of results from all 16 Local Government Areas of the state.

CityMirrorNews reports that Oyebanji secured a second term in office after emerging victorious with 319,224 votes in the keenly contested election held on Saturday, June 20.

The Governor defeated his closest challenger, Dr Wole Oluyede of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Oluwadare Bejide, who finished third with 12,872 votes.

The election results showed that Oyebanji swept all 16 local government areas, recording victories across both urban and rural communities.

INEC’s final figures indicated that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election out of 988,251 registered voters statewide. A total of 382,109 votes were cast, while 6,332 ballots were declared invalid.

Other parties recorded the following results:

* ADC – 12,872

* ADP – 1,269

* A – 564

* AA – 126

* AAC – 195

* APM – 59

* APP – 61

* LP – 276

* NNPP – 35

* PRP – 163

* SDP – 179

* YPP – 98

* ZLP – 113

With the declaration, Oyebanji secured another four-year mandate and strengthened the APC’s hold on Ekiti State politics.

Political observers attributed the outcome to a combination of incumbency advantage, extensive political support across the state, and public perception of the administration’s performance in areas such as infrastructure, education, healthcare, and workers’ welfare.

The governor also benefited from endorsements by influential political figures, traditional rulers, and grassroots structures across the state ahead of the election.

Analysts further noted that opposition parties, particularly the PDP and ADC, entered the contest without a broad coalition, a factor many believe weakened their challenge against the ruling party.

The victory reinforces the APC’s dominance in Ekiti and positions Oyebanji to continue implementing his administration’s policies during a second term in office.