Oyebanji Makes History, Wins Re-election with 319,224 Votes in Ekiti

Governor Abiodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has become the first governor in Ekiti State to secure re-election, following a sweeping victory in Saturday’s governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Oyebanji winner after he polled 319,224 votes to defeat candidates of other political parties across the state’s 16 local government areas.

Announcing the result at the end of the collation exercise, the Returning Officer, Prof. Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), said the APC candidate won convincingly across the state.

The outcome marks a significant milestone in Ekiti politics, where no sitting governor had previously won a second term through the ballot since the state’s creation.

According to the results released by INEC, Oyebanji secured 14,325 votes in Emure Local Government Area, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 851 votes, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 732 votes, the Action Alliance (AA) got seven votes and Party A recorded seven votes, with the Labour Party (LP) polling five votes.

In Efon Local Government Area, the APC received 8,742 votes, ahead of the PDP’s 2,051 votes and the Action Democratic Party (ADP)’s 35 votes.

Oyebanji polled 25,506 votes in Ijero, while the PDP secured 2,479 votes, the ADC scored 2,026 votes, the ADP polled 96 votes, the African Action Congress (AAC) recorded 11 votes and the All Progressives Movement (APM) got three votes.

In Ikere Local Government Area, the APC candidate garnered 11,116 votes, closely followed by the PDP with 9,892 votes. The ADC polled 245 votes, the ADP secured 170 votes and the AAC received four votes.

At Ekiti South-West Local Government Area, the APC recorded 14,705 votes, while the PDP polled 1,800 votes. The ADC received 1,076 votes, the ADP got 56 votes, the AAC secured 22 votes, the SDP recorded seven votes and the APM polled three votes.

The APC also won Ido/Osi with 17,901 votes. The PDP secured 1,449 votes, the ADC polled 561 votes, the ADP got 51 votes, while AA, AAC and APM recorded three, six and one vote respectively.

In Ekiti West, Oyebanji polled 28,258 votes to defeat the PDP which secured 3,644 votes. The ADC scored 674 votes, the ADP got 105 votes and the AAC recorded 13 votes.

The governor secured one of his highest margins in Ado Ekiti, polling 38,026 votes. The PDP scored 3,817 votes, the ADC received 1,054 votes, Party A polled 207 votes, the ADP got 171 votes, the AAC secured 38 votes and AA recorded 14 votes.

In Ilejemeje Local Government Area, the APC received 8,984 votes, while the PDP polled 1,243 votes. The ADC secured 579 votes, the ADP got 31 votes, the AAC scored three votes and Party A recorded two votes.

Oyebanji also won Ise/Orun with 12,908 votes. The PDP secured 1,627 votes, the ADC received 365 votes, the ADP polled 55 votes, the AAC got five votes and Party A secured eight votes.

In Oye Local Government Area, the APC polled 18,975 votes. The PDP followed with 2,891 votes, while the ADC received 998 votes, the ADP got 82 votes, Party A secured 15 votes, the AAC polled 15 votes and AA recorded two votes.

The APC candidate scored 20,500 votes in Moba Local Government Area, while the PDP polled 1,360 votes. The ADC secured 994 votes, the ADP got 28 votes and Party A recorded seven votes.

In Aiyekire, Oyebanji received 17,133 votes, while the PDP polled 1,563 votes. The ADC got 314 votes, the ADP secured 55 votes, the AAC recorded three votes and AA polled one vote.

The APC also dominated Ikole Local Government Area with 26,508 votes. The PDP secured 750 votes, the ADC polled 812 votes, the ADP got 71 votes, the AAC received 20 votes, Party A recorded 18 votes and AA secured four votes.

In Irepodun/Ifelodun, the APC scored 29,278 votes, while the PDP polled 2,119 votes. The ADC secured 511 votes, the ADP got 102 votes, the AAC polled 15 votes, Party A secured nine votes and AA recorded one vote. INEC noted that results from a ward were cancelled due to over-voting.

The APC completed its statewide sweep in Ekiti East, where Oyebanji secured 26,359 votes. The PDP polled 2,795 votes, the ADC got 1,730 votes, Party A secured 243 votes, AA recorded 89 votes, the ADP polled 76 votes and the AAC received 21 votes.

With the victory, Oyebanji not only earned another four-year mandate but also etched his name in Ekiti’s political history as the first governor to win re-election.