The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress candidate, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election held on Saturday, June 20.
Oyebanji, who was reelected for his second term in office, scored 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rival, Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 40,543 votes. Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Dare Bejide, came third with 12,872 votes.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof Adenike Oladiji, who is the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure, announced the results in the early hours of Sunday at the INEC’s headquarters on Iyin Road in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
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“Oyebanji Abiodun Abayomi of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Prof. Oladiji stated.
While there are 988,251 registered voters, 384,940 were accredited for the election across the 16 local government areas of the state.
Out of the 382,109 votes cast, the total valid votes in the election were 375, 777.
Oyebanji’s victory is historic as he is the first incumbent governor of Ekiti State to win reelection.
He won his first term in office during the 2022 governorship election and took over from Dr Kayode Fayemi, who served as governor from 2018 to 2022. Fayemi had previously served in office between 2010 and 2014 before losing re-election to Ayodele Fayose.
Prior to becoming governor, Oyebanji, who hails from Ikogosi-Ekiti, served as Secretary to the Ekiti State Government and also Chief of Staff to the Governor of Ekiti State.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University) and a Master’s Degree in International Relations & Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan.
