Preparations are in full swing as the people of Ekiti will proceed to the ballot to elect their next governor on Saturday (tomorrow).
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday released a breakdown of registered would-be voters and those who had collected their permanent voter cards across the 16 local governments in the state ahead of the election.
INEC said the number of registered would-be voters in the state increased from 987,647 in 2023 to 1,059,360 in 2026, while the number of PVCs collected rose from 958,052 in 2022 to 1,028,929 in 2026.
In the released update, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, topped the list with a total of 189,432 registered voters and 183,259 PVCs collected, respectively. Ilejemeje, some 57 kilometres from the state capital, came the lowest with a total of 20,862 registered voters and 20,423 PVCs collected. Yet, 30,431 PVCs remained uncollected as of the time of this report.
The election is perceived by many political observers as a two-horse race between the ruling All Progressives Congress’s Biodun Oyebanji and the Peoples Democratic Party’s Oluwole Oluyede.
Mr Oyebanji, who is seeking re-election alongside his running mate, Monisade Afuye, is in the race with a number of advantages, including backing from the federal government, incumbency, and support from key stakeholders within the ruling APC in the state, including traditional rulers.
Mr Oyebanji’s chances at the poll will ultimately be bolstered by his achievements during his first term in office. The governor will ultimately reference his administration’s commissioning of the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport in December 2025, construction of a flyover, the development of the Knowledge Zone initiative, as well as investments in road infrastructure, healthcare, education and agriculture as APC’s evidence of the reason voters should consider him for the second term.
Beyond his achievements and backing from the central government, the APC has the largest political structure in the state and controls the state’s political machinery through elected local government officials and political appointees, amplifying its chances of edging out other contenders in the race.
These advantages, however, may not be enough for the ruling APC to capitalise on at the poll as the state grapples with challenges including insecurity in parts of the state, rising prices, declining purchasing power and increasing household costs. The recent abduction of worshippers in Ilejemeje local council had also raised questions about the capacity of the Oyebanji-led government to ensure the security of lives and property in the state if given the mandate for another four years.
The debate on zoning is also likely to shape the election. Ekiti South senatorial district has intensified calls for the governorship seat to rotate to the region, insisting that since the state’s creation in 1996, power has largely alternated between the North and Central senatorial districts.
However, Mr Oyebanji’s supporters argued that competence, performance and continuity should take precedence over zoning considerations. Saturday’s poll is expected to determine the extent to which voters in the state want the ruling APC to continue in power based on its performance over the last four years.
Mr Oluyede of the PDP is the governor’s main challenger. A trained doctor who has established hospitals in Nigeria and worked across the Caribbean, Australia and Canada, the candidate may capitalise on his participation in the 2022 governorship election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress to galvanise voter support.
Coming from Ekiti South with some visible presence in the state, Mr Oluyede is expected to enjoy support from voters, especially those who argue that power should go to the region. However, his chances at the poll may be hampered by the protracted crisis in the PDP, which has left the candidate vulnerable to uncertainty in voter support.
Also, the PDP’s late entry into the race casts some doubt on its ability to deepen its campaign and inspire voters around its candidate. Even though Mr Oluyede has openly supported President Bola Tinubu, he still faces a divided party and competing interests within the PDP in the state.
The ADC candidate, Oluwadare Bejide, who previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Canada, joined the race to wrest power from the incumbent governor. While the ADC has gained considerable national appeal, it remains unclear whether that acclaim has reached Ekiti, where residents are more conservative and divided between PDP and APC.
The ADC’s apparent lack of extensive grassroots structure and financial strength may be the candidate’s Achilles’ heel in this election. While it is true that Mr Bejide might want to leverage the popularity of the party’s heavyweights, such as Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, observers believe his chances of upsetting the APC and PDP are very slim.
Also, Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party has touted himself as a young alternative in the race and vowed to upset the state’s political establishment. However, it remains unclear how Mr Falegan, 41, will pull off the magic, given that his party’s organisational structure remains weak across the state’s 16 local councils and 177 wards.
While Mr Falegan may be counting on the support of young voters, his chances at the poll will ultimately be overshadowed by the dominance of major political parties, especially the APC and the PDP, which have a pool of young and old supporters in the state.
Other candidates, including Labour Party’s Oyebanji Olajuyin, 67; New Nigeria Peoples Party’s Blessing Abegunde, 35; Bidemi Awogbemi (36), Akinyemi Adewumi (53) of Action People’s Party; Akande Oluwasegun (36), Oluwasanmi Fajuyigbe of African Action Congress; Ayodeji Ojo of Action Democratic Party and Victor Adetunji —Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), are not considered serious threats to the major contenders in the race, especially given their limited visibility and political structures across the state.
Meanwhile, just like every other election across the country, Saturday’s off-cycle election in Ekiti had raised concerns among observers about the electoral commission’s preparedness to deliver a credible, transparent poll as the country gravitates towards the 2027 elections.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, assured voters and political parties that the poll will be free, fair and transparent. He noted that measures had been taken to ensure a hitch-free process, including the accreditation of 98 election observer groups, the establishment of rapid-response communication teams to counter misinformation and fake news, among others.
While the commission had also embarked on voter education in markets and other strategic locations to campaign against vote-buying and other electoral offences, the police force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had deployed personnel to ensure a secure and peaceful exercise.
Amid the preparations, civil society organisations, including Yiaga Africa and International Press Centre (IPC), cautioned against vote trading during the process, stressing that citizens must be allowed to freely exercise their franchise.
The organisations described the forthcoming poll as a critical test of the Electoral Act 2026 and warned that the credibility of the exercise would depend on electoral preparedness, transparency in results management and the neutrality of security agencies.
