The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the election, Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday, declaring that Oyebanji secured a total of 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals in the contest conducted across the state’s 16 local government areas.
Oladiji, a professor and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, said the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, scored 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 12,872 votes.
She further disclosed that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded.
Oladiji (centre)
According to her, 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration brought to a close a closely watched governorship election in which voters across Ekiti State turned out on Saturday to elect a governor amid a generally peaceful atmosphere, despite reports of technical challenges and allegations of irregularities in some locations.
BVAS Complaints, Irregularity Allegations
Before the declaration of results, the election witnessed a mixture of orderly voting, technical challenges and allegations of irregularities, even as observers and many voters commended security agencies for maintaining peace throughout much of the exercise.
INEC reported that all 2,445 polling units designated for the governorship election opened for voting.
According to the commission, 2,257 polling units, representing 92.31 per cent, opened on schedule before 8:30 a.m., while 188 polling units, accounting for 7.69 per cent, experienced minor delays but commenced voting before 10:30 a.m.
The commission also commenced the upload of polling unit results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after voting and counting ended in several locations.
During the election, the PDP candidate, Oluwole Oluyede, expressed dissatisfaction with developments at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area.
Speaking to journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 006, he alleged that many voters were unable to vote because of problems associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He also alleged voter harassment and intimidation at the ward.
Earlier, elderly voters at the same polling unit had expressed frustration after being unable to complete accreditation due to BVAS challenges and called on INEC to urgently rectify the situation.
The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dare Bejide, also alleged irregularities during the election.
ADC candidate Dare Abejide casting his vote in the Ekiti governorship election.
However, Oyebanji rejected the allegations.
The governor told journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, that anyone making such allegations must substantiate them with evidence.
He described the conduct of the election as satisfactory and encouraged eligible voters who had not yet voted to come out peacefully and perform their civic duty.
Similarly, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, CP Abayomi Shogunle, said that no case of vote-buying was reported to the agency.
Voting ended before 3 p.m. in many polling units, after which sorting and counting of ballots commenced.
At Polling Unit 008, Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, sorting and counting began at about 2:37 p.m.
However, the exercise became rowdy as party agents and supporters disagreed over the validity of certain ballot papers.
At Polling Unit 006, where the PDP candidate voted, voting was still ongoing as of 4 p.m. because some voters insisted on exercising their franchise despite earlier delays.
Election observers generally commended the conduct of the exercise while raising concerns about certain procedural issues.
An observer and First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Sebastian Anyia, said the process had remained peaceful and orderly, with voter turnout proving encouraging.
He expressed optimism that the smooth conduct witnessed during accreditation would be sustained throughout the state’s 16 local government areas until the conclusion of the exercise.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, praised the commitment shown by female voters.
“The women are so resilient; in front of me at the other polling unit, they are laying their blankets on the floor and placing their toddlers, which means they are here to stay; they mean business, and they really want to cast their vote,” she said.
However, election monitoring group Yiaga Africa raised concerns over what it described as discrepancies between ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates.
But INEC explained that 19 parties were included on the ballot paper to avoid the cost of printing fresh ballot papers owing to court orders.
“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.
“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,” the organisation said in a statement signed by Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission, and Yiaga Africa Executive Director, Samson Itodo.
“Also, the public may not have fully received information about these changes.
“These inconsistencies might create confusion during voting and collation. Where result sheets include parties that are not on the ballot, presiding officers may record zero votes for parties that voters did not see.
“Conversely, where voters cast ballots for parties not reflected on the result sheet, such actions could create uncertainty in recording, reconciliation, and collation,” the organisation further warned.
Yiaga Africa subsequently called on INEC to publicly clarify the final list of parties and candidates and provide written guidance to electoral officials handling collation and result documentation.
Ahead of the election, INEC repeatedly assured residents of its readiness to conduct a credible and transparent exercise.
Security agencies also stated that extensive preparations had been made for the poll.
The Nigeria Police Force led a multi-agency security operation involving scores of personnel deployed across the state to secure polling units, collation centres and other strategic locations.
The police imposed restrictions on vehicular movement during voting hours, intensified patrols and warned political actors against violence, vote-buying and other electoral offences.
Security authorities consistently assured residents that adequate measures had been put in place to guarantee a peaceful and credible election.
With the declaration of the final result by INEC, Oyebanji has secured another term as governor of Ekiti State after recording victory over his opponents in the governorship contest.
The African Democratic Congress has demanded an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 Nigerians in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday, the party called for independent autopsies, the publication of the victims’ identities and detention records, compensation for their families, and the prosecution of officials found responsible for the deaths.
Thirty-seven suspected illegal miners arrested in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto villages in Niger State on Thursday died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Suberu Aniviye, in a statement said that the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16.
Reacting, the ADC said the victims’ arrest during raids on mining sites did not extinguish their constitutional rights to life, dignity and due process, insisting that poverty, unemployment or allegations of illegal mining should not result in the loss of citizens’ lives.
The party stated, “Thirty-seven Nigerians entered government custody alive. Their families are now being asked to receive their bodies. This is an indictment of this government about the value of the average Nigerian life. Low-income Nigerians are not disposable, and no Nigerian should lose his or her life simply because they were arrested while struggling to survive.
“We must be clear: poverty is not a capital offence. Unemployment is not a death sentence. No accusation, whatever the case, gives any government institution the right to return citizens to their families in body bags.
“The incident cannot be separated from the worsening cost-of-living and unemployment crises that have pushed millions of Nigerians into desperate and dangerous means of survival.
“The same APC-led federal government that has failed to provide jobs is now criminalising the desperation created by its own policies. Food is unaffordable, transportation has become a luxury, businesses are closing and legitimate opportunities are disappearing. Yet, rather than confront these failures, the government continues to punish the victims of its failures.”
The ADC also alleged that the government targets poor miners for arrest while failing to identify and prosecute influential individuals and criminal networks involved in illegal mining.
It continued, “The poor are arrested for digging to survive, while the powerful men who finance illegal mining, sponsor insecurity and cart away Nigeria’s mineral wealth remain beyond the reach of the law. The Tinubu administration has made honest work scarce, survival expensive and insecurity profitable.
“President Tinubu must decide whether Nigeria’s security institutions exist to protect citizens or punish them for being poor. Nigerians need jobs, security and justice, not an economy that impoverishes them and institutions that treat their lives as disposable.”
The Social Democratic Party has promised to liberate and rebuild Nigeria from its current socio-economic and insecurity challenges if elected in the 2027 general elections.
The National Chairman of the SDP, Prof Sadiq Gombe, made the pledge on Friday while receiving a delegation of the Confederation of West Africa Youth at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Gombe, represented by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, said the party’s ideology is anchored in Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution, particularly the welfare and security of Nigerians.
He said the growing interest of young Nigerians in the SDP indicated that the party’s message was gaining traction, adding that Nigeria had reached a point where it needed to be rebuilt.
“The SDP is a party that has its ideology threaded. This ideology is based on Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which talks about provision for the welfare and security of Nigerians. That is what guides the policies of this party.
“So I find it interesting that many Nigerian youths are taking interest in the party. It means that the message we are sending is getting through to the people. This country has derailed to a situation where we need to rebuild. And if you look at our message and the manifesto that was presented to the public last week, you will see a comprehensive programme for the transformation of this country.
“We cannot continue drifting. The SDP wants to put this country back on track. Fortunately, we have a presidential candidate who knows his onions, determined, young and ready to turn things around. So, we want to do something different that will lead to the liberation of this country if we come to power.”
Also speaking, the SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, urged members and supporters of the party to concentrate on grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Adebayo said political influence was ultimately determined at the community level, stressing that national visibility or eloquence would not translate into votes without effective engagement with voters at the polling-unit level.
He said, “Politics is done in the neighbourhoods. We have 176,846 polling units across the country. Any amount of command of English you have that does not convince your neighbour about how they are going to vote is wasted.
“Any influence you have from Timbuktu to Accra that cannot influence how people vote in the community where you come from, that influence is academic. So we must go back.
“Politics is not a game of the mouth. It’s a game of the heart because the burden of politics is not easy. It is the love of your country and the vision of the future that will make you last long in politics.”
The Regional President of the Confederation of West Africa Youth, Israel Akinola, who spoke during the visit, said Nigerians needed to pursue a new political direction ahead of the 2027 elections.
Akinola said public and private sector stakeholders must work together through public-private partnerships to drive development.
He also criticised the tendency of Nigerians to celebrate governments for providing basic services, which he described as citizens’ fundamental rights.
Actress Toyin Abraham has rejected her inclusion in the Lagos State All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, saying she is “staying out of politics” and asking the public to disregard her reported membership of the council.
Abraham was listed as a member of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate of the campaign council unveiled by the Lagos APC on Thursday ahead of the 2027 elections. She was listed alongside actors Jide Kosoko, Eniola Badmus, Bimbo Akintola, Adebayo Salami, Saheed Balogun and Bukky Wright, as well as Fuji musicians including Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Obesere and Adewale Ayuba.
However, reacting to the list in an Instagram Story on Thursday, Abraham said she had not joined any campaign council and had recently made her position clear.
“I’m not a member of any campaign council. I have said it recently. I am staying out of politics. Please disregard the supposed inclusion of my name in any campaign committee,” she wrote.
The development comes three years after Abraham’s public support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election triggered sustained criticism and personal attacks against her on social media.
In March 2023, the actress spoke about the backlash during a Twitter Space, saying some supporters of Peter Obi had petitioned Netflix to remove her films from its platform and had also targeted brands associated with her. She shared screenshots of messages urging Checkers Custard to drop her as an ambassador and described receiving daily curses and insults directed at her, her husband, Kolawole Ajeyemi, and their son.
The controversy resurfaced repeatedly after the election, with Abraham continuing to face criticism over her political choice. PUNCH reported in July 2024 that social media users continued to lambast the actress, while the situation escalated after she took action against individuals she said had made derogatory and defamatory comments about her and her family.
One of the incidents involved an X user identified as Big Ayo, who had made a post accusing Abraham of using money allegedly linked to Tinubu to pay for a hair transplant for her husband. Abraham denied the allegation and reported the matter to the cybercrime authorities.
She later clarified that she had not caused the arrest of the man’s mother, as had been alleged online, but had filed a petition over what she described as cyberbullying and defamatory content.
Big Ayo was subsequently released from police custody amid an online campaign and pleas calling for his release.
The arrest and its aftermath triggered another wave of criticism against Abraham. Some social media users threatened to report her films to streaming platforms, while others circulated messages urging Netflix to remove her movies.
Amid the controversy, Abraham made an emotional Instagram Live appearance in July 2024 in which she described the sustained online attacks and said she had been pushed to the limit.
“I want to die,” she said during the broadcast, while also saying that her child had been cursed and that she had been subjected to prolonged bullying and defamation. PUNCH reported that she said she had only exercised her rights as a citizen by filing a petition with the cybercrime department.
In another statement during the same period, Abraham said she could tolerate insults directed at her but would not accept attacks involving her children.
The actress’s latest decision to distance herself from political campaigning therefore follows a history of controversy surrounding her political involvement, particularly after her support for Tinubu in 2023.
The Lagos APC campaign council, meanwhile, lists Toke Benson-Awoyinka as Director of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, with Kosoko as Co-Director and Badmus as Deputy Director. Abraham remains listed as a member of the 33-person directorate in the published council document despite her public rejection of the reported appointment.
