The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

Announcing the results in the early hours of Sunday, the Returning Officer, Adenike Oladiji, said Oyebanji secured 319,224 votes to defeat Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 40,543 votes and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who scored 12,872 votes.

INEC disclosed that 384,940 voters were accredited, with 375,777 valid votes recorded. A total of 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the overall votes cast to 382,109.

The election, conducted across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State, was largely peaceful, though there were reports of BVAS-related challenges and alleged irregularities in some areas. 

INEC noted that all 2,445 polling units opened for voting, with over 92 percent commencing operations before 8:30 a.m.

However, Oluyede alleged that BVAS issues disenfranchised many voters and also raised concerns about voter intimidation in parts of Ikere Local Government Area. Bejide similarly complained of irregularities during the exercise.

In response, Oyebanji dismissed the allegations, insisting that those making such claims should provide concrete evidence. He described the election as satisfactory and commended residents for their participation.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police overseeing the election, Abayomi Shogunle, stated that no case of vote-buying was reported. He added that while the voting and counting processes were generally orderly, security personnel intervened in a few polling units where disagreements and delays caused tension before normalcy was restored.