The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday, saying Oyebanji polled a total of 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals across the state’s 16 local government areas.
According to her, 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 said 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, with 375,777 valid votes recorded. A total of 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing total votes cast to 382,109.
The election, held across 2,445 polling units, saw 2,257 units (92.31 per cent) open on schedule before 8:30 a.m., while 188 units (7.69 per cent) experienced minor delays but began voting before 10:30 a.m.
INEC also confirmed the upload of results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after voting and counting concluded in several locations.
Before the final announcement, the poll witnessed a mix of orderly voting and reported technical challenges, with allegations of irregularities in some areas.
The PDP candidate raised concerns over BVAS failures and alleged voter intimidation at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, while also expressing dissatisfaction with disruptions that affected some voters.
The ADC candidate, Dare Bejide, also alleged irregularities during the exercise.
Governor Oyebanji, however, dismissed the claims, insisting that anyone alleging malpractice must provide evidence. He described the election as largely peaceful and encouraged eligible voters to participate without fear.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, CP Abayomi Shogunle, said no case of vote-buying was reported during the poll.
Voting ended in many polling units before 3 p.m., after which sorting and counting began, though some locations experienced delays and brief tensions that were later brought under control by security personnel.
