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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.