Governor Biodun Oyebanji's re-election in Ekiti State has sparked celebrations in Ado-Ekiti and Ekiti West, while mixed feelings prevail in opposition candidates' hometowns. The June 18, 2026 off-cycle governorship election is seen as a litmus test for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections and the upcoming Osun State governorship poll.
INEC's technological performance praised
Stakeholders and analysts commended INEC for deploying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and promptly uploading results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. The exercise was largely hitch-free, though concerns over vote buying and accreditation delays persisted. Dr. Olugbenga Abimbola, a senior lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, noted that for the first time, INEC achieved 100 percent result transmission on IReV within 24 hours.
Afenifere secretary general weighs in
Sola Ebiseni, secretary general of Afenifere, described the election as a manageable exercise compared to national general elections. He said, 'The Ekiti off-season gubernatorial election may not really be regarded as an isolated exercise in view of several parliamentary by-elections held simultaneously across the country... Yet it is child's play compared with the magnitude of efforts required in national general elections.' Ebiseni urged INEC to address complaints about vote buying, calling it 'a cancerous challenge for the political class.'
Opposition candidate's perspective
Olugbenga Edema, ADC candidate for Ilaje/Ese-Odo federal constituency, stated that irregularities possible in off-cycle elections would be harder to execute in general elections due to nationwide scope. He said, 'For off-cycle elections, these anomalies are possible because of the scope, but for general elections, it would be too difficult for incumbency to deploy such a volume of force and intimidation because the entire nation would be involved.'
Political landscape and 2027 implications
Ebiseni noted that Ekiti is virtually a one-party APC state, with most former governors aligning with the incumbent. The PDP and ADC, the only minimally visible opposition parties, are grappling with internal squabbles. Dr. Abimbola highlighted that the 2026 amended Electoral Act enforced party discipline, preventing cross-carpeting after primaries. He cautioned that the 2027 general elections, covering over 175,000 polling units, would be a different ball game.
Vote buying remains a challenge
Despite technological successes, vote buying was a persistent issue. Ebiseni remarked, 'The complaints about vote buying and all sorts are a cancerous challenge for the political class, and INEC could hardly be blamed for it... The caliber of persons that may be involved would certainly be a challenge to ordinary police officers.' He called on INEC to take such complaints into consideration ahead of the Osun governorship election, which he predicted would pose greater challenges.
