Politics

Official: INEC declares Oyebanji winner of Ekiti 2026 Governorship Election

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2 months ago

June 21, 2026

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

The Returning Officer for the Ekiti State governorship election, Adenike Oladiji, who declared the results at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday, said that Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes.

Oladiji, a professor and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, said that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, scored 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Party (ADP) polled 12,872 votes.

According to her, a total of 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, with 375,777 valid votes, 6,332 rejected votes, and total votes cast.

Voting, which began at about 8:31 a.m, ended officially at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, with more than 300,000 voters casting their ballots.

INEC has declared Biodun Oyebanji of the APC as the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

The Returning Officer for the election, Professor Adenike Oladiji, said the incumbent governor polled 319,224 votes.

She also said that while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, scored 40,543 votes, Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Party (ADP) polled 12,872 votes.

2:25 a.m.

Following the conclusion of the collation of results from the 16 LGAs, the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State governorship election and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Professor Adenike Oladiji, says that the results will be transferred to the Form EC8D.

2:22 a.m.

Moba LGA

ADC- 994

APC – 20,500

PDP – 1,572

2:19 a.m.

Ekiti East

ADC- 1,730

APC – 26,359

PDP – 2,795

2:15 a.m.

Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA

ADC- 511

APC – 29,278

PDP – 2,119

The collation officer said that the result from one of the polling units was cancelled due to over-voting.

2:08 a.m.

Ikole LGA

ADC- 812

APC – 26,508

PDP – 750

2:04 a.m.

Aiyekire (Gbonyin) LGA

ADC- 314

APC – 17,133

PDP – 1,563

1:52 a.m.

Oye LGA

ADC- 998

APC – 18,975

PDP – 2,891

1:49 a.m.

Ise/Orun LGA

ADC- 365

APC – 12,908

PDP – 1,627

1:40 a.m.

Ilejemeje LGA

ADC- 579

APC – 8,984

PDP – 1,243

1:37 a.m.

Ado Ekiti LGA

ADC- 1,054

APC – 38,026

PDP – 3,817

1:31 a.m.

Ekiti West LGA

ADC- 674

APC – 28,258

PDP – 3,644

1:26 a.m.

Ido-Osi LGA

ADC- 561

APC – 17,901

PDP – 1,449

1:22 a.m.

Ekiti South-West LGA

ADC- 1,076

APC – 14,705

PDP – 1,800

1:13 a.m.

Ikere LGA

ADC- 245

APC – 11,116

PDP – 9,892

1:12 a.m.

Ijero LGA

ADC- 2,026

APC – 25,506

PDP – 2,479

1 a.m.

Efon LGA

ADC- 201

APC – 8,742

PDP – 2051

12:59 a.m.

Emure LGA

ADC – 732

APC – 14,325

PDP – 851

12:57 a.m. The announcement of results from the LGAs has begun.

12:37 a.m. The Returning Officer for the Ekiti State governorship election is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Professor Adenike Oladiji.

12:35 a.m. INEC has begun the collation of results of the Ekiti State governorship election. The exercise is taking place in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

11:51 p.m. As of 11:50 p.m., 97.18 per cent of the Ekiti State governorship election results have been uploaded on the INEC IReV portal. Results have been submitted from 2,376 out of 2,445 polling units.

9:27 p.m. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, has said that the official collation of the governorship election results from the LGAs will commence at 10 p.m. on Saturday.

9:21 p.m. The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, has explained that 19 political parties were contained in the ballot paper for the Ekiti election to avoid the financial cost of printing fresh ballot papers due to court orders.

8:32 p.m. Shogunle also says one person was arrested for ballot box snatching during the election.

8:23 p.m. Commissioner of Police in charge of security for the Ekiti State governorship election, Abayomi Shogunle, says the police have not received any report of vote buying in the exercise so far.

7:59 p.m. Yiaga Africa’s Samson Itodo says 24 incidents of violence were reported across 10 local government areas during the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election.

4:35 p.m. INEC has commenced the upload of polling unit results from the Ekiti State governorship election to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV), after the official close of voting.

As of 6p.m. on Saturday, the commission had uploaded 846 results out of the 2,445 expected polling unit results, representing 34.60 per cent of the total.

4:30 p.m. INEC says that all 2,445 PUs were successfully opened for the governorship election earlier in the day. According to the body, 2,257 PUs (92.31 per cent) opened on schedule before 8:30 a.m, while 188 PUs (7.69 per cent) experienced minor delays but commenced voting before 10:30 a.m.

4 p.m. Voting was still ongoing as of 4 p.m. at Polling Unit 006, where the PDP candidate cast his vote, as some of the voters insisted that they must exercise their civic responsibility.

3:35 p.m. Channels Television correspondent provides an update on the election as collation begins at different polling units in the state.

3:40 p.m. Chairman of the Ekiti All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Organisation and Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has said that the outcome of today’s governorship election will be a referendum on the performance of the President Bola Tinubu government, its acceptance, and the popularity of the party in Ekiti State.

3:13 p.m. Yiaga Africa urges citizens and stakeholders to keep a close eye on the preparedness, transparency, and neutrality in the Ekiti State governorship election.

2:43 p.m. Sorting of votes has commenced at Polling Unit 001, Ado D Ijigbo in Ado LGA. Various party agents and security agents are currently monitoring the exercise.

2:37 p.m. Sorting and counting commenced at Polling Unit 008, Ugele/Arokun ward, Ikere Local Government Area.

But the exercise became rowdy at the polling unit as party officials and members argued over the validity of ballot papers.

1:50 p.m. Social Democratic Party candidate Olugbenga Obafemi has cast his vote in Ekiti governorshjip election.

12:31 p.m. Candidate of the APC and incumbent governor Oyebanji has dismissed allegations of voter harassment and intimidation raised by the PDP’s Oluyede, describing the conduct of the election as satisfactory.

Speaking with journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area, the governor, who was accompanied by his wife, Olayemi, said anyone making such allegations must provide evidence to substantiate their claims.

He urged eligible voters who had yet to vote to come out and discharge their civic responsibility peacefully.

11:05 A voter and resident of Ikogosi, Fatokun Babatunde, commends INEC and security agencies for the peaceful and orderly conduct of the election process so far.

He also urges the people of Ekiti State to reject violence and uphold peace, stressing that despite political differences, they remain one people united by a common heritage and shared future.

10:19 a.m. Polling Unit 003 in Ikogosi, Ekiti West Local Government Area, awaits the arrival of the APC governorship candidate and incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, who is expected to cast his ballot shortly.

Channels TV correspondent Eyitope Kuteyi reports a surging crowd at the polling unit, alongside a heavy security presence comprising personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

10:10 a.m. Africa Democratic Congress candidate Dare Bejide has cast his vote in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election.

Bejide, however, raised concerns about alleged vote buying

10 a.m. An observer and First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Sebastian Anyia, says the election process has so far been peaceful and orderly, with voter turnout proving encouraging.

He expresses optimism that the smooth conduct witnessed will be sustained across all 16 local government areas until the conclusion of the exercise.

9:58 a.m. The PDP governorship candidate, Oluwole Oluyede, has cast his vote in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election.

He voted in polling unit 006 in Ugele/Arokun ward, Ikere LGA.

Oluwole expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the exercise, saying that most voters at his polling unit had yet to cast their votes due to a problem with the BVAS.

9:56 a.m. Peoples Democratic Party candidate Oluwole Oluyede has arrived at his polling unit in Ikere LGA to ast his vote in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election.

Politics

NDC Accuses INEC of Replacing Its 2027 Candidates With ‘Strange Names’

Published

2 days ago

August 31, 2026

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The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly removing candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections and replacing them with names it said were unknown to the party.

The party made the allegation in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, following INEC’s publication of the list of candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections.

Zuwoghe described the development as a deliberate attempt to undermine the party ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that it could create confusion and dissatisfaction among the party’s supporters.

The NDC chairman particularly cited the Anambra State House of Assembly list, where he alleged that 10 names published by INEC were neither nominated nor authorised by the party.

The affected constituencies listed by the party include Onitsha South 1, Onitsha South 2, Orumba North, Anaocha 1, Idemili North, Njikoka 1, Nnewi South, Nnewi South 2, Ayamelum and Dunukofia.

According to Zuwoghe, the party conducted its primaries and appeal process before producing a final list of candidates endorsed by relevant stakeholders, the party leadership, representatives of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the appeals panel.

He alleged that after the final list was uploaded to the INEC portal using the code provided to the party, nine names were kept in “Pending” status by INEC officials.

Zuwoghe claimed that INEC officials told the party that the names were already in the commission’s system based on information submitted by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.

The chairman said the party subsequently challenged the names and submitted the identities of its actual candidates, but alleged that INEC refused to make the necessary changes.

He further alleged that the electoral commission subsequently collected Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates and uploaded the forms without going through the party.

“This not only runs against the grain of the Electoral Act and INEC’s own guidelines, it is simply unacceptable,” Zuwoghe said.

He argued that where there was a discrepancy between the candidates submitted by a political party and information allegedly obtained by INEC’s monitoring teams, the commission should have left the affected positions blank rather than publish candidates the party did not recognise.

The NDC also alleged that similar incidents had occurred in other states, including Benue and Imo, describing the development as part of what it called a broader pattern of opposition parties being prevented from presenting their preferred candidates.

“We, as a party, are also carrying out our own independent investigation, the preliminary findings of which are already pointing to the complicity of INEC officials in foisting names purporting to be our candidates,” the statement said.

The party called on the INEC Chairman to urgently investigate the matter and determine how the disputed names found their way onto the commission’s published list.

Zuwoghe said the NDC would pursue the matter through legal channels, including approaching a court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and have what it described as its authentic candidates restored.

He urged members of the public and NDC supporters to disregard the disputed names, insisting that they were not candidates nominated by the party.

The NDC chairman vowed that the party would pursue the matter “to the very end” to ensure that the disputed candidates are removed and the alleged irregularity reversed.

Politics

Zamfara 2027 governorship battle: Group salutes PDP candidate for scaling INEC hurdle, pledges mobilisation support

Published

2 days ago

August 30, 2026

Austin Ojomah

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The inclusion and recognition of Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), for the 2027 Governorship election in Zamfara State, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), has been commended by the Zamfara Youths Alliance for Good Governance, (Z-YAGG).

In a statement issued Sunday in Abuja, and jointly signed by Comrade Adamu Mohammed; Mallam Jubril Bello Magaji; Alhaji Garbadeen Sani Gummi – Chairman, Secretary, and Publicity Secretary respectively, the Group declared that, “with INEC’s fulfillment of Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, the coast is now clear for the forthcoming General Elections, and particularly Zamfara State Governorship election.”

The Group emphasized that, “it is disheartening and shameful that the good people of Zamfara have been subjected to different stages of underdevelopment, hardship, and economic squalor, continuously since 1999. Somehow, indigenes and residents of the State keep wondering why the suffering despite the huge natural endowments. Moreso, the perpetual insecurity which has crippled agriculture, commerce, trade, and other viable economic activities speaks to the level of governance in Zamfara; both present and past.”

The Z-YAGG reiterates that it is apolitical but argues “we are interested in whatever is good for the people, even as another election circle draws near. For now, having done detailed studies on all the candidates, we are impressed with Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, of the PDP. He is better equipped with the right antecedents and pedigree to pilot the affairs of Zamfara. It is on this score that we congratulate him for successfully scaling INEC’s hurdles”

The Group concluded by pledging, “to mobilize, canvass for votes, and support his ambition when the campaign for the Governorship and State Assembly elections starts. With presence in the entire Local Government Areas, we will evolve ingenious campaign templates to market him to every segment and sector of people in Zamfara State.”

Politics

Kwara 2027: Zakari Mohammed, Kale Kawu, Speaker Danladi, Apaokagi Make The List As INEC Displays Names, Details Of Guber Candidates

Published

3 days ago

August 30, 2026

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A total number of 13 political parties have fielded candidates for the 2027 Kwara State governorship election..

Names and details of the candidates of the political parties in question were displayed at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Olorunsogo, Ilorin on Saturday.

The list of candidates and the parties that have had their candidates recognized by the electoral umpire include Action Alliance, APP, ADC, NDC, Accord Party, SDP , ADP, APC , PDP , NNPP, NDP, APGA and APM.

This will definitely allay Kwara State ADC members and supporters’ fears cognizant that supporters of rival political parties had excluded the ADC and its guber candidate from the list they made available on social media earlier in the day.

Dr. Ridwanullah Apaokagi , former rep Zakari Mohammed (ADC Guber candidate), Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi, Seko Jubril Gure, Engineer Bolakale Kawu and Professor Abdulmumin Ajia were among the guber candidates that had their names and details displayed by the electoral umpire.