In Landslide, Oyebanji Wins Second Term as INEC Declares Ekiti Election Results

*Gov, Fayemi commend smooth conduct, voters’ turnout

*Observers laud peaceful poll, decry vote-buying, voters’ intimidation

Dike Onwuamaeze in Lagos and Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado-Ekiti

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State winner of yesterday’s governorship election in the state.
Oyebanji, whose first term mandate will expire in October, recorded a landslide victory in the results of all the 2,445 polling units in the state, which were uploaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

The incumbent governor also won overwhelmingly in all the 16 local government areas (LGAs), recording 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rival and governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, who scored 40, 543 votes, according to the results announced by the Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

While Governor Oyebanji and his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi lauded the smooth conduct of the election and the voters’ turnout, civil society organisations also commended the peaceful conduct of the poll, even as they raised concerns over incidents of vote-buying and voter intimidation in some local government areas.
INEC, in the early morning hours of today, concluded the uploading and collation of all the results of the governorship election held in the 2,445 polling units in the 16 local government areas (LGAs) in the state.

Fourteen candidates contested the off-cycle governorship election, with Oyebanji seeking a second term.
His main challengers include: Oluyede of the PDP, Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Oyebanji Olajuyin of the Labour Party (LP), and Blessing Abegunde of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Other contenders included Samuel Akande of AAC, Ayodeji Ojo of ADP, Opeyemi Felegan of Accord, Joseph Anifowose of APM, Bidemi Awogbemi of APP, Olaniyi Ayodele of PRP and Victor Adetunji of ZLP.

Gov, Fayemi Commend Smooth Conduct, Voters’ Turnout

After casting their votes, Governor Oyebanji and former Governor Fayemi have lauded the smooth conduct of the election and the voters’ turnout.
Oyebanji described the large turnout as a demonstration of the people’s commitment to democracy and good governance.
Speaking with journalists shortly after casting his vote at Ward 006, Unit 003, Oyebanji’s Compound, Okelele Area of Ikogosi-Ekiti, the governor addressed minor challenges reported in some areas, assuring the public that the hitches would not lead to disenfranchisement.
“There may be glitches in any process, but I am satisfied with the assurances I have received that such issues will be addressed. I appeal to our people to remain patient with INEC and allow the process to be completed,” he said.

He noted that reports reaching him from various parts of the state indicated that many polling units witnessed impressive voter participation, with citizens patiently waiting to exercise their civic responsibility.
The governor also commended INEC and security agencies for their conduct, adding that the peaceful atmosphere witnessed in many communities was highly encouraging.
On his part, former Governor Fayemi described the accreditation and voting process as smooth and seamless across his polling unit.
Fayemi cast his vote at Ward 11, Unit 9, Ogilolo, Isan-Ekiti, Isan-Ekiti LGA, where he praised officials of the INEC for what he described as improved efficiency.

“It was a smooth experience. Everything went reasonably well. The accreditation process was fast and seamless,” he said.
He added that the process was consistent with voters in his polling unit, including his wife, and commended INEC personnel for their performance.
Fayemi noted that although there was a reported incident in the community the previous night, the election itself remained peaceful, clarifying that the altercation was unrelated to the electoral process.

Observers Laud Peaceful Poll, Decry Vote-buying, Voters’ Intimidation

Meanwhile, the CSOs that monitored the governorship election have commended the peaceful conduct of the poll across the state, even as they raised concerns over incidents of vote-buying and voter intimidation in some local government areas.
The EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub, alongside another monitoring group, the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), said while the election environment was generally calm and orderly, operational gaps and electoral offences, including vote-buying, remained issues of concern.

The EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub, comprising the Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, TAF Africa, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, International Press Centre and the Centre for Media and Society, said it deployed 598 observers across polling units in the 16 local government areas of the state.
In its joint statement issued yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the group said voting commenced early in most areas, with improved performance of election materials and personnel and a largely peaceful atmosphere recorded across polling units.
The group, however, disclosed that it recorded 24 incidents of electoral offences across nine local government areas, with vote-buying and voter intimidation emerging as key concerns.

According to the observers, the incidents were most prominent in Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ado-Ekiti Local Government Areas, where attempts were allegedly made to influence voters and compromise the secrecy of the ballot.
It warned that the persistence of vote-buying and voter inducement schemes could undermine public confidence in the electoral process if not urgently addressed.

Similarly, the KDI, in its preliminary assessment of the election, said findings from its Election Day Data Room suggested that the poll had so far demonstrated a generally orderly and functional electoral process.
The group Executive Director, Bukola Idowu, said the election also exposed persistent operational vulnerabilities, particularly in logistics, timely arrival of election officials, polling unit commencement, and performance of election technology.

Fayose’s Brother Seeks Cancellation of Afao-Ekiti Results, Alleges Vote Manipulation

Meanwhile, the younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, Emmanuel Fayose, has called for the cancellation of the governorship election results in Afao-Ekiti, alleging widespread irregularities and deliberate invalidation of votes cast for the ADC.
Fayose, the ADC candidate for the House of Representatives in Ekiti Central, made the demand while speaking with journalists at the Iketun-Agba Ibera polling unit during yesterday’s governorship election.
He alleged that supporters of the APC were deliberately voiding ballots cast for the ADC and other opposition parties, describing the process as undemocratic and compromised.

PDP Candidate Alleges BVAS Glitches, Others

Also speaking with journalists yesterday, the PDP governorship candidate, Oluyede, expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the election at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area.
He said many voters at his polling unit had yet to vote due to challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He also alleged voter harassment and intimidation in the ward.

Accord Party’s Candidate Alleges Vote-buying, BVAS Failures

Similarly, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Opeyemi Falegan, alleged widespread vote-buying and operational lapses, describing the process as falling short of democratic standards.
Falegan made the allegations in a series of posts on his Facebook page shortly after casting his vote at his polling unit in Idofin, Ado-Ekiti.
He listed incidents of voter inducement at his polling unit, claiming that some individuals were allegedly offering voters money in exchange for support for one of the candidates in the election.
Falegan alleged that voters were being offered as much as N20,000 to influence their choices at the ballot box, a development he said undermined the credibility of the electoral process.

Yiaga Alleges Inconsistencies in Ballot Papers, Result Sheets, INEC Candidates List

Similarly, Yiaga Africa alleged discrepancies between the ballot papers, result sheets, and the list of candidates published by INEC.
In a statement signed by Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, Chair, 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission Yiaga Africa, and Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, the duo drew attention specifically to the Form EC8A polling unit result sheets, which provided spaces for 15 political parties, as against 19 parties carried by the ballot papers in circulation.
Yiaga noted that INEC’s final list of candidates, as updated and available on the INEC website as of 18th June 2026, reflected 14 parties that fielded candidates.

“Yiaga Africa is observing the Ekiti State governorship election, and our preliminary findings raise serious concerns about the consistency of the materials INEC has deployed.
“As of 8:30 am, 96% of the observers from our 250 randomly sampled polling units were at the polling unit to observe the election.
 “Yiaga Africa recognizes the context. After INEC published its initial list of 12 candidates in January 2026, subsequent court rulings (notably on the PDP’s candidacy) and late administrative changes altered party and candidate participation.”