…ADC Rejects Election Result
…NBA Calls For Investigation Of Alleged Vote Buying
Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured a resounding re-election victory in Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election after assembling an unusual coalition of political heavyweights across party lines, effectively neutralising the traditional opposition that has historically threatened incumbent governors in the state.
Unlike his predecessors, former Governors Ayodele Fayose and Kayode Fayemi, who were unable to secure two consecutive terms and had to return after four years to complete their eight-year tenures, Oyebanji entered the election with the backing of influential former governors, senators and other political stakeholders across Ekiti’s three senatorial districts.
His victory came despite concerns over worsening insecurity in the state, particularly the abduction of schoolchildren who were still in captivity on the eve of the election.
When THE WHISTLER visited the state on Friday, hours before the poll, residents repeatedly cited the kidnapping as the administration’s biggest challenge, with many criticising what they described as the governor’s muted response compared to efforts by neighbouring Oyo State.
The Chief Executive Officer and founder of Mature FM, Ehinafe Odunayo, however, argued that Oyebanji’s broad political support outweighed public dissatisfaction over insecurity.
According to him, “the kidnapping of the school children and the Governor’s inability to lead their rescue should ordinarily lead to his defeat. But he has played a perfect game – political stakeholders in the state are behind him.
“So even if he rigged, he would still be supported because there’s no opposition to start with. Assuming there’s a strong opposition, they can prevent or make it difficult for rigging to work. But in this case, there is no opposition so he has a free hand,” Odunayo said.
His assessment reflected the extensive mobilisation undertaken by former Senate Minority Leader and former Deputy Governor, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, who coordinated political structures across Ekiti South Senatorial District in support of the governor.
One resident told THE WHISTLER that “with Senator Olujimi, Governor Oyebanji is covered in the South.”
In Ekiti Central Senatorial District, former Governor Ayodele Fayose spearheaded mobilisation efforts despite insisting he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As an indigene of Afao-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, Fayose leveraged his influence to help the governor secure overwhelming support across the district.
Campaign materials promoting Oyebanji dominated many communities in the zone, reflecting total control and political alliance for the governor.
Former Governor Kayode Fayemi, although less visible in the campaign, also refrained from opposing the governor. His appearance at several state functions before the election was widely interpreted as tacit endorsement of Oyebanji’s re-election bid.
Former House of Representatives member Bimbo Daramola equally played a key role in Ekiti North through his daily “BAO Walk” campaign, which ran for over three months across Oye and Ikole Federal Constituency, helping to consolidate support for the governor.
Having secured backing across the South, Central and North, Oyebanji focused on consolidating support in his native Ekiti West Senatorial District.
During a visit to Ikogosi, in the West Senatorial zone, where the governor voted, residents repeatedly insisted there was virtually no opposition in the area.
One APC campaigner identified simply as Femi told THE WHISTLER, “Do you see any opposition posters here?
“All former governors, senators – everyone is behind the governor.”
The strategy ultimately paid off as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Oyebanji winner after he secured 319,224 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Olumayokun Oluyede, who scored 40,533 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, polled 12,872 votes.
Announcing the result at the INEC headquarters in Ado-Ekiti in the early hours of Sunday, the Returning Officer, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, declared:
“Therefore, I, Adenike, am the Returning Officer for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election… Oyebanji Abiodun Abayomi, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and stands re-elected.”
INEC disclosed that there were 988,251 registered voters, while 384,940 voters were accredited. Out of 382,109 votes cast, 375,777 were valid votes.
The commission’s results also showed that the PDP candidate lost in his home local government, Efon.
In Efon LGA, Oyebanji polled 8,742 votes, while Oluyede secured 2,051 votes.
ADC Rejects Result
Despite the landslide outcome, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dare Bejide, rejected the election results, describing the exercise as lacking credibility.
Addressing journalists shortly after the declaration, Bejide alleged widespread vote-buying, intimidation and other electoral irregularities.
He said, “My immediate reaction is to reject the result in its entirety because the exercise was not credible. You all witnessed what happened. In some polling units, including mine, the atmosphere was almost like a war zone. It is a sad day for democracy.”
According to him, “The open display of vote-buying shows a failure on the part of the government. If they had performed well, there would have been no need to rely on money to secure votes. They should have depended on their achievements to convince the electorate rather than openly buying votes.”
Bejide added, “We are still gathering and analysing the results. The few we have seen contain evidence of over-voting and alterations. A lot of disturbing things happened during the election. Once we complete our analysis, we will determine the appropriate action to take.”
The former Nigerian Ambassador to Canada further maintained, “We went from house to house. We visited artisans, market women, pensioners, and communities across the state. The feedback we received was overwhelming. That is why we believe the outcome announced does not reflect the reality on the ground.
“If we were not on the ground, as some people claimed, why was there so much vote-buying? If they were confident in their popularity and achievements, they should have allowed democracy to flourish and defeated us through the ballot.”
NBA Raises Concerns
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in its preliminary election observation report, expressed concern over allegations of vote-buying and voter intimidation during the election.
The NBA Election Working Group, led by Festus Okoye, stated that it “expressed concern over widespread incidents of vote-buying, voter inducement, and isolated technical challenges associated with BVAS operations.”
The association further “called on relevant authorities to investigate reported electoral malpractices, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and continue reforms aimed at enhancing the credibility, transparency, and integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.”
(The Whistler)