13 Candidates Battle for Ekiti Gov on Saturday

June 15, () — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cleared 13 political parties to contest the Ekiti off-cycle governorship poll across 16 local government areas this weekend, June 20. A week to the election, President Bola Tinubu, while reflecting on Nigeria’s 27 uninterrupted years of civilian rule since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the political parties to ensure the conduct of a free and fair poll to show that the strength of any democratic system lies not only in periodic elections but in public confidence that electoral outcomes truly reflect the will of the people.

“In the coming days, Ekiti and Osun States will hold elections. I urge INEC, security agencies and all the parties to ensure that these polls are peaceful and credible. Democracy fails when citizens doubt the process,” the President declared.

The President’s remarks come amid heightened political activities in both states ahead of the governorship elections, with observers already calling for tighter electoral safeguards to prevent violence, voter intimidation, and disputes capable of undermining confidence in the process.

A few days before the poll, INEC was compelled by court order to add the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Mr Otunba Peter Obafemi. The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti during a stakeholders’ meeting last week ahead of the governorship election, saying the inclusion followed a Court of Appeal judgment affirming the leadership of the SDP under Shehu Gabam.

Amupitan said that the commission had updated its records and would upload the names of the SDP candidate and his running mate on its official website in compliance with the court judgment.

The SDP was initially excluded from the list of political parties cleared by the INEC to participate in the upcoming poll due to a prolonged leadership crisis rocking the party at the national level.

The three-member panel of justices who ruled on Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/126/2026 filed by an aggrieved member of the party, Fayemi Babatunde, resolved the protracted leadership dispute in favour of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, led by Gabam.

However, the other 12 contestants are up against the incumbent governor of the All Progressives Congress, APC. The other candidates are Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party; Joseph Anifowose of Allied People’s Movement; Oyebanji Olajuyin of Labour Party; Blessing Ayobami Abegunde of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, and Olaniyi Ayodele of the People’s Redemption Party, PRP. Other candidates vying for the Ekiti governorship position are Bidemi Awogbemi of Action People’s Party, APC; Akande Oluwasegun of African Action Congress, AAC; Ayodeji Ojo of Action Democratic Party, ADP; and Victor Adetunji of Zenith Labour Party, ZLP.

Of the lot, incumbent governor Oyebanji not only enjoys the power of incumbency to win re-election to Government House; the only challenger in the ring with him is Oluyede of the PDP, who, unfortunately, has been severely affected by the prolonged crisis in the party, which left the electorate undecided which faction he belongs to. Even a former governor of the PDP platform, Ayodele Fayose, has since thrown his support behind Governor Oyebanji alongside other relevant stakeholders in the state.

The thirteen political parties on Thursday signed a peace accord, pledging commitment to non-violence before, during, and after the poll.

Speaking at the signing of the agreement, facilitated by the National Peace Committee (NPC), INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, warned political parties against violence and electoral misconduct, insisting that the peace accord must go beyond ceremonial signing to practical adherence.

He said, “For the Commission, our commitment to the letters of this Accord is reflected in our advanced level of operational readiness. Our deployment will cover 16 Local Government Areas, 177 Registration Areas, and 2,445 Polling Units.”

Amupitan said that INEC on Wednesday presented to the parties the Certified True Copy of the harmonised Voters Register, which stipulated that 1,059,360 registered voters were eligible to vote during the election.

A day before the event, the APC launched a high -powered National Campaign Council to drive Oyebanji’s re-election campaign.

The inauguration, which was held at the Kashim Shettima Hall of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, was attended by the National Chairman of the party, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, serving and former governors, serving and former ministers, and party leaders across the six geographical political zones.

“No political party can parade this array of people we have in this council. I challenge any candidate to present any Governor or Personality behind him during the campaign, we will present ten times of such bigwigs within our party to support you. We have the numbers, we have the strength, and we are prepared”, Yilwatda said.

The council is chaired by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, with Senator Akpabio serving as Co-Chairman, while Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, takes responsibility as Secretary.

Speaking shortly after his inauguration as Chairman of the Campaign Council, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, declared that Governor Oyebanji had made the task of campaigning considerably easier through what he described as an uncommon combination of humility, competence, and political maturity.

APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said the specialised committees had been established to coordinate every aspect of the campaign. These include election planning and management, grassroots mobilisation, finance and resource mobilisation, media and publicity, security, protocol, logistics, women’s mobilisation, youth mobilisation, and secretariat operations.

“As it is in the character of our party, every election matters to us. We believe that we must put in our best in terms of human resources, in terms of capacity leadership, and in terms of adequate preparation for the election. The composition comprises the best of the best elements in progressive Politics in Nigeria with adequate experience and exposure on how to deliver victory for our party, on June 20, 2026, in Ekiti State, he said, adding that, “I really want to acknowledge the remarkable achievement of my brother, the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji.

Our goal for the upcoming election is ambitious yet achievable. We are targeting 100 percent victory for Biodun Oyebanji with nothing less than 500,000 votes. I am pleased to announce to you that we have established formidable campaign structures across the sixteen local government areas and 177 wards in Ekiti.

Gov. Oyebanji pledged to remain committed to inclusive governance, sustainable development, and policies that directly improve the welfare of citizens, assuring party leaders that the trust reposed in him would not be taken for granted.

“For the past three years plus, we have succeeded in ensuring that the social contract we signed with the people of Ekiti has been duly followed. And we have no fear, and we do not doubt that the Ekiti people will on June 20 vote for our performance. But whatever we have achieved as a government in the last three years, after God, the Credit Goes to the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“He provides the resources for all of us to ensure that we deliver on our promises to the people. The Challenge in Ekiti is not about winning; the challenge is about the numbers. In the 2023 election, Mr President got 67 percent of our vote, but for this coming election, we want to get 500,000, and for the general election in 2027, we want to get 700,000 votes.

It is indeed ambitious, but it is not impossible because we have done everything humanly possible and we are still doing everything to connect with the real voters and bring them out on the day of elections.” Gov. Oyebanji said.