The incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, has been returned to the highest political office in Ekiti to pilot the affairs of the state for another four years.
Oyebanji, who coasted home to victory in the just-concluded gubernatorial election in the state, secured the consents of the most people who participated in the poll.
Tribune Online reports that INEC’s Chief Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Professor Adenike Oladiji, who announced the final results and made declarations around 3am Sunday morning, said Oyebanji polled a total of 319,224 votes out of a total of 375,777 valid votes.
On the other hand, his distant rival, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Wole Oluyede, whom Tribune Online reports had earlier described the process as “useless,” polled 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who alleged vote-buying and manipulation in the early hours of the poll, secured 12,872 votes.
2022 vs 2026: Oyebanji’s 84.95% of total valid votes
Unlike 2022, when the incumbent governor secured 15 out of 16 local governments and emerged victorious with fewer votes, the 2026 election almost doubled the votes secured by the APC standard-bearer.
Meanwhile, Oyebanji was declared the winner in 2022 after polling 187,057 votes against former Governor Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who secured 82,211 votes, and Bisi Kolawole of the PDP, who got 67,457 votes.
In 2022, Oyebanji got 53.16 percent of the total valid votes, while his close contenders, Oni and Kolawole, got 23.36 percent and 19.17 percent, respectively. However, in 2026, Oyebanji secured 84.95% of the total votes, while his distant runner-up, Oluyede of the PDP, got 10.79%, and Bejide of the ADC secured just 3.43%.
With a total of 351,865 valid votes in 2022 and 375,777 in 2026, the recent poll recorded an increase of 23,912 valid votes and 21,356 new voters in four years. However, rejected votes in 2026 (6,332) were reduced by 2,556 compared to 2022, when 8,888 votes were rejected.
Oyebanji’s cross-party alliance
While Oyebanji, in 2022, contested against Segun Oni, a former governor with strong public acceptance, and Bisi Kolawole, a candidate anointed by former governor Ayodele Fayose, the 2026 cycle introduced a different approach into the race.
While the internal crisis apparently affected the chances of the PDP, Oyebanji was able to secure the support of stakeholders across the fence of the political party.
Before the poll, Tribune Online reports that a PDP chieftain and former governor, Ayodele Fayose, had openly expressed his support for Oyebanji’s re-election despite his party presenting a candidate in the poll.
““I am a member of the PDP, and I remain so. We all knew the party we belonged to. Whether we support him or not, Oyebanji will win, and APC will be the greatest beneficiary. I have built an image in this state, and I have my cult-like supporters. They should all vote for this governor.
“As I am supporting Governor Oyebanji, I am also supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am not doing this for fun. I have been his fan for a long time. He remains the most prominent and most beneficial leader in the Yoruba race. All lovers of Yoruba should support this president,” Fayose said.
Likewise, Fayose on Saturday, while speaking to Tribune Online correspondents among other journalists at his polling unit, predicted victory for the sitting governor, saying Oyebanji has already wonthe election.
Like Fayose, the 2022 SDP candidate who gave Oyebanji a tough electioneering battle also endorsed the APC candidate for the 2026 poll.
In fact, Tribune Online reports that following his defection to the APC in January 2026, Oni and his wife, Olukemi, joined Oyebanji on his official campaign tours.
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