Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the Ekiti State governorship election.
INEC’s Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, announced the result in Ado-Ekiti after the collation of votes from the state’s 16 local government areas.
According to the electoral commission, Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 40,533 votes while African Democratic Congress Candidate, Dare Bejide amassed 12,872 votes
Oladiji said Oyebanji satisfied the constitutional requirements for election and was therefore returned elected. The electoral body said 988,251 voters were registered for the election, while 384,940 were accredited. Total votes cast stood at 382,109, with 6,332 rejected ballots.
The victory extends APC’s control of the southwestern state and hands Oyebanji another four-year mandate after a campaign centred on continuity, infrastructure development and economic growth.
CliqMetro reports that the election was conducted under tight security, with observers and security agencies reporting largely peaceful voting across the state.