Ekiti 2026: Factional fights erupt after governorship primaries

Political parties interested in contesting the 2026 governorship race in Ekiti State have held their primaries, and their flag‑bearers are now expressing a strong desire to win. The Independent National Electoral Commission, which scheduled the Ekiti governorship poll for 20 June 2026, required that the parties conduct their primaries between 20 October and 10 November 2025. According to the INEC directive, the personal details of the nominees would be published by the electoral body on 29 December, while the parties’ right to withdraw and replace candidates would expire on 12 January 2026. The commission also announced that the final list of the parties’ nominated candidates would be released on 19 January 2026.

For the moment, the parties and their standard‑bearers are: the ruling All Progressives Congress (Governor Biodun Oyebanji), the Peoples Democratic Party (Dr Wole Oluyede), the African Democratic Congress (Dare Bejide), and the Young Progressives Party (Daramola Owoola). Also represented are the Social Democratic Party (David Bankole), the New Nigeria People’s Party (Mr Blessing Abegunde), Accord (Opeyemi Falegan), and the Labour Party (Prof Oyebanji Olajuyin).

Pending the publication of the final list, it remains uncertain whether some names will be substituted, what the outcomes of appeals will be, or what legal challenges may arise over the selection of flag‑bearers in certain parties. Nevertheless, the candidates who emerged from the primaries are declaring their readiness to win the upcoming election.

Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, a former university lecturer and seasoned politician, secured the APC nomination through a consensus after the second aspirant, Mrs Atinuke Omolayo, withdrew and backed him. Earlier, of the four individuals who purchased APC nomination forms, the party cleared only two—Oyebanji and Omolayo—for the primary and disqualified Kayode Ojo and Olajumoke Abimbola. Ojo has remained silent, leaving observers to wonder whether he will contest the result, even as Oyebanji extended an olive branch and expressed willingness to collaborate with him.

Abimbola, for her part, has taken the party to court seeking to nullify the process that produced the APC candidate. APC State Publicity Secretary Segun Dipe dismissed the claim, saying it could not be substantiated because no such filing had been served on anyone.

Prior to the primaries, more than 300 groups and organisations from inside and outside the APC endorsed Oyebanji for a second term, citing his performance and achievements across various sectors of the state economy. APC spokesperson Dipe voiced confidence that Oyebanji would win the 2026 governorship race, stating, “We are the party to beat, and our candidate is the candidate. Not only the candidate, but also the one who will certainly win the election. Everyone knows it, even the deaf and the blind. Everybody in this state knows that APC will win, and the incumbent will remain in office until 2030, when he will hand over to another APC candidate.”

At its primaries, the PDP selected a medical expert, Dr Wole Oluyede, as its flag‑bearer. Oluyede is a determined politician who sought the APC ticket in 2018 and ran under the ADC banner in 2022. In the 2015 PDP primary, he defeated three rivals—Funso Ayeni, Funmi Ogun, and Peter Obafemi. Obafemi withdrew in his favour, while Ogun conceded and pledged to work for his victory.

The PDP candidate is calling for party unity in the bid to retake the Oke Ayoba Government House on 20 June 2026. He also intends to set up reconciliation committees at ward, local‑government and state levels to genuinely reunite party members. This follows the deep divisions and infighting that have weakened a party that has previously produced governors on three occasions in the state.

Oluyede expressed confidence that the PDP has everything needed to defeat the ruling APC, urging party members and all Ekiti residents to join him in “liberating Ekiti” and securing a PDP victory. He said, “Our party will win the election and form the next government. PDP has a large membership base and strong support. The opponents are already shivering in the face of the unity we are fostering and our determination to win.”

Although factionalism in the PDP at the national level has been described as an albatross, the PDP candidate said it would not affect his chances, noting that crises are part of politics and expressing hope that all disputes would be resolved.

Amb Dare Bejide, former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, former Secretary to the Ekiti State Government and founding PDP state scribe, won the ADC ticket after defeating four other aspirants. Bejide promised to defeat the APC in 2026, arguing that the current administration has failed to meet public expectations. He said, “At the moment, the Ekiti State Government is not doing very well for the people, and the people are looking for a change, especially in terms of infrastructure provision. The electorate is seeking someone who will address their concerns, and that is why our position is highly relevant. We will run a strong campaign and we will win.”

ADC State Chairman Ilesanmi Omolayo announced that the party had begun the process of reconciling all interests that emerged from the primaries, saying, “We want to ensure that everybody works together as one family. All the other aspirants are ready to work with Amb Bejide.” Omolayo added that ADC is well‑spread across the 16 local government areas and expressed confidence that the party would win next year’s election. He noted, “We have good people on the ground mobilising. That is part of our chance of winning. Ekiti people are tired of APC; they are looking for an alternative, and they have already chosen our party. We have bright chances to win.”

The ADC chairman also said the party would “disarm all opponents” with its manifesto and issue‑based campaign, stating, “When the time comes, more people will see that we have a good plan for the people. The APC or any other opponent cannot give what they do not have.”

The YPP candidate, Daramola Owoola, a seasoned politician and Chairman of the Inter‑Party Advisory Council in Ekiti State, was confirmed as the party’s flag‑bearer at a delegates’ congress and pledged that his party would emerge victorious. Owoola said, “I have been in politics for a long time and I have studied the terrain. Ekiti people are not behind the APC and its candidate. When the electorate loses interest in a party, a strong alternative is needed. That is why YPP has chosen me.”

He added that his party is strengthening its structures to become more formidable, noting, “In the last election we spread across the state. We are now building on that foundation and many more are joining us, coming from APC, PDP and other parties because they are dissatisfied with how their parties are run. YPP is positioned to win; we have a strong membership base, so victory is certain.”

For the SDP, a well‑known engineer, David Bankole, became the candidate after two other aspirants—Peter Adesina and Adesola Dada—stepped down in his favour. SDP State Chairman Ayodele Bamikole declared that his party was well‑equipped and prepared for victory in the June 2026 governorship poll. He said, “We are well‑equipped and prepared for the election and victory. That is why we ensured a peaceful primary and selected a popular candidate who can challenge the other parties. We are out to win.”

Bamikole added that the SDP has the necessary strength, including broad support, to challenge the APC and Governor Oyebanji, stating, “Politics is a game of numbers. Our party enjoys popularity, our candidate has political clout, and we have structures in every ward and across the state. This gives us an advantage to win on 20 June next year.”

In Accord, philanthropist Opeyemi Falegan was affirmed as the party’s candidate through a consensus arrangement, and there is confidence that the party will form the next government in Ekiti. Falegan said he is “liberating Ekiti from the claws of recycled and greedy politicians with policies centred on transformation and empowerment.” He promised a people‑centric agenda, transformational leadership, and policies that encourage citizen participation and democratic values.

Falegan decried vote‑buying, warning that it harms the political process, and called on the electorate and party members to reject such practices. He pledged to involve international observers to monitor the 2026 election and to curb vote‑buying, saying, “Vote‑buying has become rampant in Ekiti politics and must be stopped before the next governorship election.”

Accord National Publicity Secretary Omorogbe Osa praised the party’s credible candidate and urged Ekiti residents to give Falegan full support for victory.