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 vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, has confirmed that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, signed a written agreement with him to serve only a single tenure of four years and allow power to return to the North if elected president in 2027.
Kwankwaso disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, saying the agreement was aimed at ensuring power returns to the North after a single four-year tenure in line with the party’s power-sharing arrangement.
The former Kano State governor said he had no reason to doubt Obi’s commitment to honouring the agreement.
“Oh yes, I personally believe him. I don’t think, based on what I now know about him, that he will change his mind when the time comes. We are all gentlemen,” he said.
Asked whether the understanding had been documented, Kwankwaso replied that both the party and the two candidates signed separate agreements.
“We have done one for the party, and we have done another one between the two of us,” he said.
Explaining the substance of the agreement, Kwankwaso said it provides for a single four-year tenure for Obi before the presidency returns to the North.
“The agreement is what you said, that for four years, we will work together, team together as a group, party, friends and brothers so that after his term of four years (2027-2031), it comes back to the North. That is the general agreement.”
He said he accepted the vice-presidential slot because both leaders agreed that the South should retain the presidency for only one term before power rotates back to the North.
“Together we felt that the presidency should go to the South for four years; thereafter it will come back to the North.
“We believe that should be the consensus of everybody in this country so that we can move together as a family, both North and South,” he said.
On whether he intends to contest the presidency in 2031, Kwankwaso said the party remained focused on winning the 2027 election while keeping its long-term political plans in view.
“We have a short-term plan which we are executing now and, of course, we also have our medium and long-term plans for the country, and that is what we are working on now,” he said.
Obi had in May announced that he would serve only one term if elected president, saying the decision was intended to promote political stability and strengthen national unity.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability. I would not stay a day, with a gun to my head, longer than four years,” Obi had said.
The NDC has consistently defended its power-sharing arrangement, presenting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as a consensus aimed at balancing the country’s regional interests ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The Peoples Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress have commenced the upload of names of their governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, the PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, disclosed that the party commenced the upload process on Saturday.
Also, a senior APC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, told our correspondent that the party would upload only the governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates whose nominations had been cleared by the primary election appeal panel and the National Working Committee.
Earlier, in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable, political parties submitted the nomination lists of their presidential and National Assembly candidates between June 27 and July 11, 2026.
The process also included the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E, as required under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
INEC also fixed the submission of nomination forms for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to run from 9:00 a.m. on July 18 to 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.
The timetable further indicates that the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 8, while those of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29.
It also sets August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal or substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state House of Assembly candidates have until September 19 to withdraw or be substituted.
When contacted, Bature disclosed that the PDP began uploading its candidates’ details on Saturday, adding that the exercise is ongoing and will be concluded before August 8.
He stated, “The Peoples Democratic Party commenced the upload of its governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates’ details to INEC’s nomination portal on Saturday.
“The exercise has been progressing smoothly without any technical issues, and we are confident that the upload process will be completed well ahead of the deadline.”
Also, the APC source said the party has commenced the upload of its candidates on the INEC portal, with priority given to the 16 incumbent governors seeking re-election.
The 16 incumbent governors expected on the APC list are Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Abba Yusuf of Kano, Dikko Radda of Katsina, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Umaru Bago of Niger, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.
The source also said the party’s governorship list would feature 12 first-time flagbearers, including Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Ogun), Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Eric Opah (Abia), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Mustapha Gubio (Borno), Jamilu Gwamna (Gombe), Ahmed Wadada (Nasarawa) and Baba Malam Wali (Yobe).
He stated, “I can confirm that the party commenced the upload process yesterday (Saturday), with priority given to the 16 governors seeking re-election.
“The party has also established a committee headed by Jibrin Bancir, the Principal Private Secretary to the APC National Chairman, to coordinate the smooth transmission of documents and materials required for upload to the INEC portal.
“The committee is responsible for receiving documents from state chairmen, verifying the details, ensuring all requirements are met, and forwarding them to the ICT department for upload.
“The arrangement is aimed at making the process seamless, efficient and timely.
“There could be slight changes to the initial list of candidates, as the primary election appeal committee had reviewed some petitions and submitted its recommendations to the National Working Committee.
“So, only candidates who passed the appeal committee’s review and received the approval of the NWC were uploaded to the INEC portal.
“We are confident that the exercise will be completed before the deadline.”
The PDP, APC and other political parties are expected to upload a total of 28 governorship candidates and 993 state Houses of Assembly candidates nationwide.
Governorship elections will not take place in the eight states of Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun due to off-cycle election schedules.
Earlier, political parties participating in the presidential and National Assembly elections had submitted and uploaded their candidates’ lists on the INEC portal.
Nigeria Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has stated that the decision on whether to do the right or wrong thing rests with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, ahead of the 2027 election.
It was reports that Peter Obi, during an interview in Germany, linked Ampupitan to a referee, noting that he has yet to have any personal encounter with him.
He said, “I have not met him yet and for me he’s a referee and you can’t decide if a referee will do the right thing or the wrong thing.
“We are telling the youths that it’s about their future, we want a better future because they have a right to a better future and that’s what I’m doing everyday.
“You cannot allow this process to continue, it’s a great country that can be turned around, a country that has the resources to be better.
“Again, if Nigeria is doing well today, it’s not only beneficial to Nigerians, it’s beneficial to Europe because you are the closest people to us . If Nigeria today is booming, then German companies will do more business in Nigeria.”
Peter Obi also noted that Nigerians can choose not to do the wrong thing during the 2027 elections.
He added, “In whatever role they play, the people can decide otherwise, If the people decide that they won’t do the wrong thing, they won’t do the wrong thing; it’s about the people.
“I have seen systems change from the time I became governor till today, I have seen people say that we can’t have this.”
