In a historic electoral sweep, the incumbent Governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, has been declared the winner of the state’s governorship election. Announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the early hours of Sunday, the final results show Oyebanji securing a landslide victory across all 16 local government areas (LGAs) in the state.
A Historic Milestone for Ekiti State
By claiming victory in every single local government council, Oyebanji has rewritten Ekiti’s political history. He becomes the first incumbent governor in the history of the state to secure back-to-back re-election. Furthermore, his performance marks the highest cumulative votes recorded in an Ekiti governorship poll since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
With this sweeping win, the APC candidate also joins former Governor Ayodele Fayose, who achieved a similar clean sweep of all local governments during the 2014 governorship election, as the only candidates to achieve this feat in the state.
Dismantling Opposition Strongholds
According to the official results announced by the State Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, Oyebanji completely outpaced his main challengers, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Oyebanji’s dominance extended deep into the home territories of his rivals. In Ikere LGA, the home base of PDP’s Oluyede, Oyebanji polled 11,116 votes to defeat Oluyede, who secured 9,892 votes. Similarly, in Ekiti South-West LGA, the home turf of ADC standard-bearer Bejide, the governor registered an overwhelming victory with 14,705 votes, while Bejide managed only 1,076 votes.
Key Local Government Results
The collation of results, which commenced past midnight on Sunday, revealed massive support for the incumbent in key population centers:
- Ado Ekiti LGA: Oyebanji garnered his highest single-council tally here with 38,026 votes, compared to the PDP’s 3,817 and the ADC’s 1,054.
- Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA: The APC candidate secured 29,278 votes.
- Ekiti West LGA: The governor pulled in 28,258 votes.
- Ikole LGA: APC recorded 26,508 votes.
- Ekiti East LGA: Oyebanji claimed 26,359 votes.
- Ijero LGA: APC gathered 25,506 votes.
He also recorded comfortable margins of victory in the remaining council areas, including Moba, Oye, Ido/Osi, Ayekire, Ise/Orun, Emure, Efon, and Ilejemeje.
Minor Disruptions and Reactions
The election proceeded smoothly across most parts of the state. However, in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, the Collation Officer, Professor Michael Adeyemi, reported the cancellation of voting in one polling unit due to over-voting. He assured that the cancellation had no significant impact on the overall election results for the local government.
Following the official declaration, the senator representing Ekiti North, who served as the governor’s agent at the state collation centre, praised the outcome as a well-deserved victory. He expressed gratitude to the electorate, stating that the people of Ekiti have rewarded the governor’s performance with their votes and can expect even greater development during his second term. He urged all opposition candidates to join hands with the administration, declaring that there are no victors and no vanquished in the collective effort to move the state forward.