Since Ekiti State was created in 1996 and elected its first governor, Adeniyi Adebayo in 1999, not a single serving governor has ever won re-election.
Every governor who has ever tried to return for a second consecutive term has been sent home by Ekiti voters. Until today, Biodun Oyebanji wins Ekiti election in 2026 and became the first re-elected governor.
Oyebanji’s win marks a potential shift in Ekiti politics. This is because of the significant record breaking in a state where anti-incumbency had been strong. It also represents APC’s continued dominance after winning in 2022.
Oyebanji Wins Ekiti Election in 2026 With 319,224 Votes and Breaks a Record That Stood Since 1999
The major contenders of the Ekiti election in 2026 are Biodun Oyebanji from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Wole Oluyede from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Ambassador Dare Bejide from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Other minor candidates from other political parties including LP, NNPP, AAC, ADP, etc. received far fewer votes and are not considered major contenders.
The number of votes for the major contenders are Biodun Oyebanji (APC) has 319,224 votes, Wole Oluyede (PDP) has 40,543 votes, and Dare Bejide (ADC) has 12,872 votes.
The Chief Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship election in 2026, Professor Adenike Temidayo Oladiji who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), officially declared Biodun Oyebanji Abayomi of the APC the winner of the Ekiti State Governorship election in 2026.
No serving Governor has won a second term since the state elected its first governor, Adeniyi Adebayo in 1999 who served a single term. Oyebanji has now broken that pattern by becoming the first governor in Ekiti’s history to win consecutive terms.
How the Voting Went Across the State
The Ekiti State Governorship election in 2026 was peacefully conducted and highly organized across all the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state on June 20, 2026. There were no major violent incidents recorded in any polling units as voting started around 8:30 AM till sorting/counting began.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji cast his vote at Polling Unit 003, Ward 006, Okelele Area, Ikogosi-Ekiti in Ekiti West LGA which is his home polling unit.
There were some Minor technical issues which are the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) accreditation glitches and network failures in some units.
The EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub (European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria) commended BVAS performance, reporting a 96% functionality rate across monitored polling units and describing it as optimal.
At the same time, they flagged serious concerns which include vote buying and voter inducement, voter intimidation, ballot paper irregularities, and Isolated attempts to compromise ballot secrecy.
Final Thoughts as Oyebanji Wins Ekiti Election in 2026
Oyebanji wins Ekiti election in 2026 due to his strong performance in infrastructure, education, and development.
He was also endorsed by all four living former governors which Adebayo, Fayose, Oni, and Fayemi. He has weak opposition and effective elite consensus.
This created continuity momentum that previous attempts lacked in Ekiti Governorship election.
Oyebanji’s second term is a major psychological and strategic win for APC and influences the direction of the 2027 general presidential election.
It shows the Southwest power which builds confidence for Tinubu’s re-election drive, and positions the party as capable of breaking historical barriers through elite alliances. APC leaders are already using it to project strength and inevitability heading into 2027.
The number of rejected votes were 6,332, total votes casted were 382,109, Accredited voters were 384,940, and the total number registered voters were 988,251.
Do you think Oyebanji deserved his second term or should Ekiti have voted for change? Tell us below.
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