Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been re-elected as Governor of Ekiti State after being formally declared winner of the governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mr Oyebanji was declared winner on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, after securing a decisive majority of votes across the 16 local government areas of the state.

According to the final collation announced on Form EC8E, the governor polled a total of 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rival, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 40,543 votes.

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Oluwadare Bejide, came third in the race with a total of 12,872 votes.

The APC candidate won in all 16 local government areas, consolidating a statewide sweep that reflected strong performances across urban and rural voting blocs.

The total results were announced by INEC State Collation Officer, who supervised the final aggregation of results from the 16 LGAs.

She announced the APC governorship candidate as the winner of the election having met the conditions set for the election under Nigerian electoral law.

She said a total of 6,332 votes were rejected, out of 382,109 votes cast.

According to the final figures, the election recorded 384,940 accredited voters from a total of 988,251 registered voters across the state.

The breakdown of votes for other parties showed:

ADC – 12,872

ADP – 1,269

A – 564

AA – 126

AAC – 195

APM – 59

APP – 61

LP – 276

NNPP – 35

PRP – 163

SDP – 179

YPP – 98

ZLP – 113

With the declaration, Mr Oyebanji has made history in Ekiti State’s political landscape as a second-term governor, reinforcing the APC’s dominance in the state.

Ekiti State’s political history shows that while former governors such as Ayo Fayose and Kayode Fayemi served two non-consecutive terms, Oyebanji’s re-election strengthens his party’s continuity in governance.

Political analysts attribute his victory to incumbency advantage, broad political alliances, and the perceived performance of his administration across key sectors including infrastructure, education, healthcare, and workers’ welfare.

Ahead of the election, the governor secured the backing of influential political stakeholders across party lines, as well as traditional rulers and grassroots structures across all 16 LGAs.

The opposition parties, particularly the PDP and ADC, were unable to form a united front, a factor widely believed to have contributed to their defeat at the polls.

Mr Oyebanji’s re-election further consolidates the APC’s grip on Ekiti State and positions him for another four years in office with a renewed mandate from voters across the state.

It is Official: INEC declares APC’s Biodun Oyebanji as winner of Ekiti Governorship Election

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