Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on Wednesday formally presented his Certificate of Return to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following his resounding victory in the June 20 governorship election.
Governor Oyebanji was accompanied by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, during the visit, which came days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued him and his deputy, Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye, Certificates of Return as winners of the election.
The governor secured a decisive second term after polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Dr. Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 40,543 votes.
The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC),
Ambassador Dare Bejide, finished third with 12,872 votes, while other political parties recorded significantly lower vote totals.
INEC announced that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election. The commission recorded 375,777 valid votes, 6,332 rejected votes, and a total of 382,109 votes cast across the state’s 16 local government areas.
Stakeholders say the victory reaffirmed Oyebanji’s dominance in Ekiti politics, with the APC candidate winning overwhelmingly across the state and securing a fresh four-year mandate to continue his administration’s development agenda.
