The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), has declared the APC candidate and incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the Ekiti State governorship election, Adenike Oladiji, announced the win on Sunday, adding that Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes.
According to Oladiji, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oluwole Oluyede came in second place with 40,543 votes, with Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Party(ADP) in third place after scoring 12,872 votes.
Additionally, the PDP candidate, who is from Efon-Alaaye in Efon LGA, lost in his local government area, according to INEC.
Oladiji said, “Therefore, I, Adenike, am the returning officer for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election…Oyebanji Abiodun Abayomi, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and stands re-elected.”
This victory effectively means that Governor Biodun Oyenabji has secured his second term for the next four years.
Voters Allege Vote Buying
The announcement comes amid fresh evidence of widespread vote-buying in Ekiti State governorship election Some voters openly admitted to collecting cash inducements in exchange for their votes despite the presence of security personnel and anti-corruption officials monitoring the electoral process.
Additionally, some of the voters spoke publicly about the payments, describing the practice as widespread across several polling centres in the community.
