Ekiti State Holds Off-Cycle Governorship Election on June 20

Ekiti State conducted an off-cycle governorship election on June 20, 2026, to select a leader for a four-year term. Biodun Oyebanji, the incumbent governor representing the All Progressives Congress, sought a second term against 14 other candidates, including Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress and Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) managed the process for over one million registered voters across 2,445 polling units in 16 local government areas. The commission utilized the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter verification and electronic result transmission. To ensure order, the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies imposed a statewide vehicular restriction from midnight Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday.

Voting experienced varied starts across the state. In Ikogosi, Ekiti West, activities began as early as 8:00 a.m. with high turnout. However, multiple units in Ado-Ekiti reported delays, with some voters remaining without officials or agents past 9:00 a.m. High-security deployments involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Amotekun Corps were concentrated at Governor Oyebanji's polling unit to prevent vote buying and violence. Despite the heat and some delays, reports from Ado-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti, and Ijero described the overall process as peaceful and orderly.