Ekiti Governorship Election 2026: 3 Candidates Most Likely to Win and Why
- Ekiti and the people of the state are set for a new governorship election on Saturday, June 18, as scheduled by the electoral body, INEC
- The Ekiti governorship election is one of the off-season elections in Nigeria, which has emerged after the dispute that followed the 2027 election in the state
- The 2026 governorship election campaigns in Ekiti are getting intense with rhetoric and occasional clashes between parties
The Ekiti State governorship election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, June 20, according to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The election is one of the off-cycle elections in the country. It was a consequence of an electoral dispute which started in the 2007 general election, when the Court of Appeal nullified the victories of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the poll.
Source: Twitter
Campaigns for the 2026 governorship election in the state are getting intense with rhetoric and occasional clashes between parties. However, calm has reportedly been restored with the intervention of stakeholders.
In May 2026, the National Peace Committee (NPC), in conjunction with INEC, organised a peace accord signing for the candidates in the forthcoming election.
However, there are three top candidates who stand a chance of winning the election, and the reason behind their chances has been unveiled. Below is the list of the candidates:
Biodun Oyebanji
Oyebanji is the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the incumbent governor in the state. The 58-year-old has a chance of retaining his seat in the forthcoming election, owing to the fact that he has the power of the incumbent and that of the federal might.
Before coming to the office, he had served as the Secretary to the State Government under the administration of Kayode Fayemi, the immediate past governor of the state. He had a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Political Science and a Master’s Degree (M.Sc) in International Relations & Strategic Studies from the Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University) and the University of Ibadan.
Source: Twitter
Oluwadare Bejide
Bejide is the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The newly adopted coalition party is well-known in the state ahead of the forthcoming election. The 66-year-old is a seasoned politician with over 30 years of experience.
He had previously served as the state secretary of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in the old Ondo State. He was the pioneer secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the state.
Source: Twitter
Oyebanji Olajuyin
Olajuyin is the candidate of the Labour Party in the election. He emerged through a consensus arrangement during the party's primaries. He is a medical doctor, academic and politician. He hailed from Ikere Ekiti.
The Labour Party candidate is a professor of ear, nose and throat surgery, associate lecturer in Anatomy/ Medico-linguistic Researcher for Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado - Ekiti. He promised to bring integrity, competence and compassion to governance.
Source: UGC
UK to monitor Ekiti, Osun governorship elections
Legit.ng earlier reported that British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has said that the United Kingdom will deploy observers to monitor the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.
Montgomery made the comment during his visit to the APC national chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party's national headquarters.
According to the British commission, the UK respects Nigeria's sovereignty but has a keen interest in the country's democratic and economic progress.
Source: Legit.ng
