Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has secured re-election for a second consecutive term following victory in Saturday’s governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Oyebanji winner of the election after defeating candidates from 13 other political parties across the 16 local government areas of the state.
According to the official results announced by INEC, Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to emerge victorious.
His closest challenger, Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), secured 40,533 votes, while the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dare Bejide, came third with 2,872 votes.
With the victory, Oyebanji becomes the first governor in Ekiti State to win consecutive re-election since Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999.
Although former Governor Kayode Fayemi secured another term in office in 2018 after previously serving between 2010 and 2014, his return came after leaving office and contesting through a separate election cycle.
Oyebanji’s achievement is therefore considered significant in Ekiti’s political history, which has been characterised by competitive elections and changes in leadership over the years.
The governorship contest featured candidates from multiple political parties.
Among the leading contenders were Oluwole Oluyede of the PDP and Dare Bejide of the ADC.
Other political parties that participated in the election included the Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (A), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), African Action Congress (AAC), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Peoples Party (APP).
The election outcome concludes the governorship race in Ekiti State and sets the stage for another four-year administration under Governor Oyebanji.
