KEY POINTS

• INEC has declared Biodun Oyebanji winner of the Ekiti governorship election for a second term.

• He won with 319,224 votes, defeating PDP and ADC candidates by a wide margin.

• The APC also won all 16 local government areas in the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election, securing a second term in office.

The announcement was made on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, following the final collation of results from all 16 local government areas of the state.

According to the results declared on Form EC8E, Oyebanji polled a total of 319,224 votes, defeating his closest rival, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 40,543 votes.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Oluwadare Bejide, came third with 12,872 votes.

The APC candidate also won in all 16 local government areas, completing a clean sweep across the state.

INEC disclosed that a total of 384,940 voters were accredited for the election out of 988,251 registered voters in the state.

The election recorded 382,109 valid votes, while 6,332 votes were rejected during the collation process.

Other parties that participated in the election recorded the following results:

• ADP – 1,269 votes
• A – 564 votes
• AA – 126 votes
• AAC – 195 votes
• APM – 59 votes
• APP – 61 votes
• LP – 276 votes
• NNPP – 35 votes
• PRP – 163 votes
• SDP – 179 votes
• YPP – 98 votes
• ZLP – 113 votes

With the declaration, Oyebanji has secured a second term as governor, reinforcing the dominance of the APC in Ekiti State politics.

Political analysts attribute his victory to incumbency advantage, strong political alliances, and the perceived performance of his administration in areas such as infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and workers’ welfare.

Reports indicate that opposition parties, particularly the PDP and ADC, were unable to form a united front during the election, a factor believed to have contributed to their defeat.

Oyebanji’s re-election further strengthens the APC’s control of the state and gives him a renewed mandate to continue his administration’s programmes over the next four years.