Ekiti 2026: Oyebanji's Re-Election Goes Unchallenged as Tribunal Filing Deadline Expires

Governor Biodun Oyebanji has recorded another milestone in Ekiti State's political history as his victory in the June 20, 2026 governorship election has gone unchallenged following the expiration of the constitutional deadline for filing election petitions.

The 21-day period allowed by law for aggrieved candidates to approach the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal expired on Monday without any of the candidates who contested the election filing a petition against the outcome.

The development makes the 2026 governorship election the first in Ekiti State since the return to democratic rule in 1999 to pass the election petition filing window without any legal challenge.

The peaceful conclusion of the electoral process follows the decisions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, to accept the outcome of the election instead of seeking redress at the tribunal.

Oyebanji had secured a landslide victory in the June 20 poll, polling 319,224 votes, representing 84.95 per cent of the total valid votes cast. He won in all 16 local government areas and all 177 political wards, defeating his opponents by a wide margin.

The governor's re-election had earlier earned him another place in the state's political history after becoming the first incumbent governor in Ekiti State since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999 to win re-election for a second consecutive term.

The expiration of the tribunal filing deadline without any petition further cements the outcome of the election and marks a rare occurrence in the state's electoral history.