Ahead of the 2026 election in Ekiti State, ‘YOMI AYELESO in this report examines the issues and intrigues within the political space as the various political parties prepare for their governorship primaries to pick flag bearers for the poll.
IN the next few days and weeks, members of various political parties in Ekiti State will file out to elect their party’s standard- bearers for the scheduled June 20, 2026 governorship election in the state. According to the timetable and guidelines released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , political parties are given the widow between October 20 and November 10,2025 to conduct their governorship primaries
The ruling APC is out to sustain its grip on the state while the opposition parties especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are putting in place structures that will help in dislodging the ruling party.
This development has heightened political activities, including permutations and intrigues from the camps of the major gladiators and political parties. While the ruling APC has scheduled its shadow poll or rather affirmation exercise for October 27,2025, the incumbent governor, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, mostly referred to as BAO by his admirers, is expected to be affirmed by delegates across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state, after he was earlier declared the consensus candidate by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
Even though four aspirants obtained the party’s nomination form, only Governor Oyebanji will be facing the delegates next week for what the party said would be an affirmation process. Two aspirants, namely Kayode Ojo and Abimbola Olawumi, were disqualified, while Mrs Oluremi Omolayo announced her withdrawal from the race, leaving Oyebanji as the only aspirant cleared going into the race.
For stakeholders and indeed major leaders from the state, including all the four former governors, Governor Oyebanji deserves to be re-elected for a second term in view of his life-impacting projects and programmes across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state. From education, health, infrastructure, agriculture, social welfare and human capital development, the administration has made significant contributions in the state, hence the widespread endorsement and support from over 300 groups and unions for the governor to continue.
In what appears to be an unprecedented political scenario, especially in the APC, Governor Oyebanji will be affirmed as the party’s undisputed candidate on October 27, setting the stage for next year’s poll. Political watchers have said that considering the fallout of the internal processes in the APC, the governor is on the verge of setting a new record for himself and the state.
Since 1999, no governor in Ekiti State has won a second term election on the stretch after finishing his first term. The trio of Chief Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose, Dr Kayode Fayemi all lost their re-election bid, but Fayose and Fayemi staged a comeback to the Oke Ayoba government house after sometime.
All things remaining equal and without prejudice to the opposition, Oyebanji might end up winning his second term next year without much stress in view of the overwhelming support he is enjoying both locally and at the national level.
However, political observers have said that there is the need for a genuine and deliberate reconciliation process towards bringing all aggrieved leaders and members together ahead of the poll. The aspirants, especially Kayode Ojo, who was disqualified, needs to be reconciled in the interest of the party to avoid last minute surprises and to approach the election with a united house, knowing full well the build-up to the party’s primaries sharply divided the APC in the State.
Understanding the implications of the situation, Oyebanji appealed to his supporters to embrace all members of the APC regardless of their camps and tendencies within the party.The governor, who described the jostle for the APC governorship ticket as a family contestation, added that there was “no victor, no loser” after the NWC’s decision.
He said, “Let me advise our party members that as we move towards the primary election, the party is one, no winner, no loser. I don’t want abusive songs; I don’t want anybody to be abused.
“All of us want to serve the Ekiti people. It is not an offence to be ambitious; every right-thinking Ekiti citizen has the right to the office of the governor of Ekiti State. But it is God that puts one in power.
“So, nobody has won in this battle; all of us have won. There is no loser. I am just pleading with all our party members, all those that are singing, do not abuse anybody.
“As far as I am concerned, I am not begrudging anybody, because the contest happened within the same party. It is not that they have gone to another party. So it is a family contest, and once it is resolved, all of us have to come together to ensure the family goes on.”
In the PDP, four aspirants, namely, a former Commissioner for Works, Mrs Funmilayo Ogun; a medical practitioner, Dr Wole Oluyede; an aviation expert, Peter Obafemi; and Dr Funso Ayeni have been cleared to contest the November 8, 2025 governorship primaries of the party.
The party has witnessed a series of fisticuffs in the last few years, which prevented it from putting its house together and challenging the ruling party in the state. From the contestations over party executives from the ward to the local government, to anti-party activities of some of its leaders, it is evident that the party has lost its bearing in the last few years.
The recent election of a former acting governor of the state, Tunji Odeyemi, as the chairman of the party may as well set the tone for a new order in Ekiti PDP. However, all these would be subject to how the crisis rocking the national leadership of the party is resolved, owing the cloud of uncertainty that over the scheduled November national convention slated for Ibadan.
No doubt, the PDP is parading aspirants who could put a strong contest against Oyebanji of the APC in the next year’s poll, but the internal schisms may ultimately be the abattross of the party going into the election.
Speaking with the Sunday Tribune Odeyemi said everything possible would be done for the party to connect and win the next year’s election. He expressed optimism that regardless of internal issues, the party would come out stronger and better to challenge what he called the lackluster performance of the ruling APC in the state, adding, “ we must therefore put behind us the divisions of the past and focus on unity, discipline, and loyalty to the ideals of our party.”
The PDP chairman said,” My emergence is not about Tunji Odeyemi. It is about the PDP family in Ekiti reclaiming its rightful place as the true voice of the people, the hope of the common man, and the credible alternative for good governance.
“Our state, Ekiti, is in dire need of rescue from maladministration, poverty, and neglect. The PDP must rise to this challenge and provide the leadership that our people are yearning for. We will strengthen our grassroots structures, empower our youths and women, and ensure internal democracy where every member has a sense of belonging.
“Together with the State Working Committee, we will reposition PDP in Ekiti to win elections and deliver dividends of democracy to our people.
“Finally, I call on every member of our great party to close rank. Let us speak with one voice, march with one spirit, and labour with one purpose,to return PDP to Government House, Ado-Ekiti, and restore prosperity, dignity, and hope to our people.”
On his part, the zonal publicity secretary of the PDP, Chief Sanya Atofarati, said the party is preparing for the election, assuring residents that credible and acceptable candidate will be fielded towards defeating the ruling APC.
“Ekiti people are eagerly waiting for PDP to be back in power. They have tested us, compared administrations and realised PDP is preferable. What the party is doing is to put its house in order so that we can reach out to the people who are already waiting for us.
“Nothing is happening in Ekiti State despite the humongous amount of allocations to the state monthly from the Federation Account. There is nothing significant for the APC to campaign with, even within their party, “ the PDP South-West spokesman said.
For the ADC, the party has been busy with the setting up of its structures across the state, with the ward, local government and state executives already in place ahead of the governorship primaries of the party slated for November 1st, 2025.
As of Tuesday morning, a former deputy governor of the state, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka; a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Dare Bejide; an entrepreneur, Apostle Ayodele David-Adesua; a former banker, Prince Adeyinka Alli; Olumuyiwa Babalola; an ICT expert, Emmanuel Fayose and Femi Adegbite, have shown interest in flying the party’s flag.
Aside these aspirants, party sources informed Sunday Tribune that, “more prominent individuals will still declare for the party in the next few weeks before the primary and after the exercise.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the party’s secretariat located along the Basiri area of the state capital was set ablaze by unknown hoodlums. The place was prepared with canopies and chairs for the inauguration of the new state executives, before it was set ablaze and destroyed midnight on Tuesday. Also, it was gathered that political thugs with dangerous weapons stormed the secretariat to chase away members who were awaiting the arrival of the former governor of Osun State and National Secretary of the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola.
Speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, Aregbesola condemned the attacks on the party’s secretariat by hoodlums, noting that the ruling party is threatened over the growing popularity and acceptance of the ADC platform in Ekiti and the country.
The former governor said, “It is so unfortunate and shameful that products of democratic process could exhibit such despicable acts in a democracy and It is difficult to adequately express the disappointment.
“The beauty of democracy is the freedom to associate, participate in open meetings and rallies as festivals of democracy and when you see solo-democrats undermining the democratic process the way we have witnessed in Ekiti today, it is a terrible decline to fascism.
“I believe through the media, the world will be informed that a season of anomy has descended on the Nigerian people and that we should all rise up against them.”
The new ADC chairman, Omolayo Ilesanmi, who expressed worry over the attacks on the party, appealed to members and residents of the state to remain resolute and determined towards achieving victory in the next year’s poll.
Ilesanmi disclosed that the party would conduct credible primaries in picking an acceptable candidate that would deliver victory for the ADC, saying that the ruling party has failed the people of the state.
But in his reaction, the Publicity Secretary of APC, Segun Dipe, described the PDP and ADC as “mere noise, mere election campaign propaganda and daydreaming, who cannot pose any threat to the wave of acceptance of our party and governor in Ekiti.”
The APC spokesman said, “ The most talked about party in Ekiti today is the APC. That is because we are the pinnacle; we are the party that everybody knows will definitely win the election.
“There is no opposition in Ekiti State, and if you see those making noise, they are inconsequential because the opposition leaders are with Governor Oyebanji.
“The party people want the governor, the party echelon wants him, the party leaders in Ekiti and Abuja want him. We can tell you by and large that the primary is affirmation for him (Oyebanji) and the June 20, 2026 election will also be a walkover for us as a party.”