Ekiti's Oyebanji Wins Back-to-Back Re-Election as INEC Draws Praise for Peaceful Vote

Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has secured re-election, making history as the first governor in the state to win consecutive terms, in a contest officials and observers described as peaceful and orderly. President Bola Tinubu hailed Ekiti voters for their conduct and urged the electoral commission, INEC, to keep investing in free and fair processes.

Oyebanji dedicated the win to Tinubu’s economic reforms, casting the result as a national endorsement, while critics noted that turnout and the broader cost-of-living strain remain live issues nationally. For the Nigerian diaspora watching governance ahead of 2027, an orderly off-cycle election offers a modest signal on institutional credibility, even as separate reports of rising kidnappings underline the security challenges that still shadow the country’s democratic gains.

Source: THISDAY; Punch Newspapers; State House, Abuja.