The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, securing a second term in office after a resounding victory at the polls.
The declaration was made in the early hours of Sunday at the INEC collation centre in Ado-Ekiti following the completion of the collation of results from all 16 local government areas of the state.
Announcing the final results, the Returning Officer for the election declared that Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals in the contest.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, came second with 40,543 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, secured 12,872 votes.
According to INEC, the APC candidate won by a wide margin across the state, consolidating the party’s dominance in Ekiti and earning another four-year mandate from the electorate.
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The election, which was held on Saturday across the state’s 16 local government areas, recorded a peaceful turnout in most parts of the state despite reports of minor logistical and technical challenges in some polling units.
The commission disclosed that hundreds of thousands of eligible voters participated in the exercise, with valid votes cast significantly outnumbering rejected ballots.
Oyebanji’s victory marks a major political milestone for the APC in Ekiti State and is expected to strengthen the party’s influence ahead of future electoral contests.
Political observers described the outcome as a strong endorsement of the governor’s administration, which has focused on infrastructure development, education, healthcare and social welfare programmes since assuming office.
Following the announcement, supporters of the governor celebrated across parts of the state, while party leaders congratulated him on what they described as a decisive electoral victory.
With the declaration by INEC, Oyebanji has officially been returned elected as Governor of Ekiti State for a second term in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act.