The incumbent Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has taken a commanding lead in the ongoing collation of results for the 2026 governorship election. Data from Dataphyte’s election platform reveals that Oyebanji has secured 83.9 per cent of the total votes counted so far, placing him in a strong position to achieve a historic consecutive re-election in the state.
As of the time of filing this report, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has processed results from areas accounting for more than 276,000 registered voters. Out of the 96,835 votes cast in these areas, 1,637 ballots were rejected, while the remaining pool was declared valid. Oyebanji’s early tally has cleared more than 81,000 votes, leaving the remaining 13 contenders to split roughly 16 per cent of the ongoing count.
The Chasing Pack
Trailing far behind the incumbent is Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has pulled 11,295 votes, representing 11.7 per cent of the documented count. Bejide Oluwadare of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) currently sits in third place with 3,054 votes (3.2 per cent).
Notably, out of the 14 candidates on the ballot, only the top three have crossed the 1,000-vote threshold. The remaining 11 candidates are struggling at under one per cent each. Earlier in the day, the ADC flagbearer, Oluwadare, raised formal concerns regarding alleged cases of vote-buying at certain voting centers, a claim that observers are closely tracking. Because official collation is still active across the state’s local government areas, these shares remain subject to final adjustments.
The Turnout Challenge
Despite the clear margins for the ruling party, early data points to a familiar challenge: persistently low voter turnout. While Ekiti State boasts over one million registered voters for this off-cycle cycle, the results processed so far represent a small fraction of the electorate. Specifically, only 98,472 ballots were cast from communities with a combined pool of 276,918 registered voters.
This low engagement mirrors Ekiti’s long-standing pattern of voter apathy during off-cycle gubernatorial windows. As residents await the final declaration from INEC headquarters, attention is focused not just on whether Oyebanji will maintain his landslide margin, but whether overall participation metrics will tick upward as the final batches of polling units are verified.
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