Governor Biodun Oyebanji has described his re-election as a “humbling” endorsement by the people of Ekiti State, pledging to make his second term more impactful and beneficial to residents across the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate winner of Saturday’s governorship election after he secured 319,224 votes.
His closest challenger, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) garnered 12,872 votes.
Announcing the result in Ado-Ekiti, the Returning Officer, Adenike Oladiji, said Oyebanji won in all 16 local government areas of the state, becoming the first incumbent governor in Ekiti to secure re-election while in office.
Reacting to the outcome, Oyebanji thanked residents for renewing his mandate and pledged not to take their support for granted.
“I have a proper understanding of the responsibility that this victory has placed on my shoulders,” the governor said.
He added, “This victory places a greater burden of service on me and my administration. We will continue to work tirelessly to justify the confidence reposed in us by the people of Ekiti State.”
The Governor also reiterated his commitment to delivering more during his second term, saying, “Second term is the most critical. It is better to serve once and leave than to mess up in the second term.”
INEC said 384,940 voters were accredited out of 988,251 registered voters. The commission recorded 375,777 valid votes, while 6,332 ballots were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 382,109.
Although the election was largely peaceful, there were reports of alleged vote-buying and BVAS-related challenges in some polling units during the exercise.
Oyebanji, who was first elected in 2022, will now begin a second four-year term after securing an overwhelming victory at the polls.
