By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday congratulated Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji on his re-election as governor of Ekiti State, describing his victory in Saturday’s governorship election as a strong endorsement of continuity and people-centred governance.
In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu praised the people of Ekiti for the peaceful and orderly conduct of the poll and for reposing confidence in Oyebanji’s leadership.
The President also commended security agencies for maintaining law and order during the election and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to sustain efforts toward delivering peaceful, free, fair and credible elections ahead of the Osun State governorship election in August and the 2027 general election.
“With his overwhelming victory in the election, Oyebanji has emerged as the first governor in the history of Ekiti State to win re-election back-to-back,” the statement said.
Tinubu noted that Oyebanji’s first term recorded significant achievements in infrastructure, agriculture, youth employment, education, healthcare and rural development under the BAO agenda.
According to the President, the governor’s renewed mandate reflects the people’s confidence in stability, continuity and good governance.
He urged Oyebanji to remain magnanimous in victory and carry all Ekiti people along as he begins another four-year term.
Tinubu also commended other candidates who participated in the election for exercising their democratic rights, urging them to support the governor in advancing development in the state.
The President reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to working with the Ekiti State Government to deepen democratic dividends and accelerate the Renewed Hope Agenda across the country.
Governor Oyebanji secured a landslide re-election after defeating candidates of other political parties in the Ekiti governorship election.
Declaring the final results in Ado-Ekiti, the Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced that Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 40,543 votes. Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Dare Bejide, came third with 12,872 votes.
INEC said the state had 988,251 registered voters, while 384,949 voters were accredited for the election. A total of 382,109 votes were cast, with 6,332 rejected votes recorded.
Oyebanji won in all 16 local government areas, underlining the scale of his dominance across the state. His victory was widely attributed to strong grassroots support, endorsements from major political stakeholders, and public approval of his administration’s performance over the last four years.
Oyebanji first became governor in 2022 after winning the governorship election on the APC platform and succeeding former governor Kayode Fayemi. Since assuming office, he has focused on road construction, rural development, agricultural expansion, civil service welfare and social investment programmes.
