Oyebanji Wins Second Term in Ekiti, Sweeps All 16 LGAs
Governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, has been re-elected for a second term after recording a resounding victory in Saturday’s governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Oyebanji winner of the poll in the early hours of Sunday after he defeated candidates of other political parties in all 16 local government areas of the state.
Announcing the result at about 3:00 a.m., the Chief Returning Officer for the election and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Professor Adenike Oladiji, said the APC candidate secured 319,224 votes to emerge victorious.
According to the results announced by INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, came a distant second with 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 12,872 votes.
Declaring the result, Oladiji said Oyebanji, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes cast, was duly elected governor of Ekiti State.
INEC further disclosed that out of the 988,252 registered voters in the state, 384,940 were accredited to vote. The commission recorded 375,777 valid votes, 6,332 rejected votes and a total of 382,109 votes cast.
Reacting to his victory, Oyebanji described his re-election as a renewed call to service, saying the overwhelming mandate given to him by the electorate had placed a greater responsibility on his shoulders.
He pledged to continue serving the people with courage, compassion, humility and the fear of God, while expressing gratitude to Ekiti residents for their support and confidence in his administration.
The governor assured citizens that his administration would intensify efforts to implement its development agenda and remain responsive to emerging priorities that would further advance the state’s growth.
He noted that while his government would remain committed to its existing development blueprint, it would also accommodate new areas requiring attention to ensure inclusive progress for all residents.
The victory consolidates the APC’s hold on power in Ekiti State and grants Oyebanji another four-year mandate to continue his development programmes across the state.
