Oyebanji Wins Second Term with Sweeping Victory Across Ekiti

Governor Biodun Oyebanji has secured re-election for a second term after recording a decisive victory in Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress won in all 16 local government areas of the state, defeating his closest rivals by a wide margin.

Announcing the results at the collation centre in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, the returning officer, Adenike Oladiji, said Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes.

His main challenger, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, garnered 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress scored 12,872 votes.

According to figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, 988,251 voters were registered for the election, while 384,940 voters were accredited. The commission recorded 375,777 valid votes, 6,332 rejected votes and a total of 382,109 votes cast.

The election was largely peaceful across the state, although reports of vote-buying, voter suppression and glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) surfaced in some polling units. Elderly voters were reported to be among those most affected by the technical issues.

Oyebanji, 58, was first elected governor on June 18, 2022, and assumed office in October of the same year. His latest victory makes him the first incumbent governor in Ekiti State to win re-election.