President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State on his resounding re-election victory in Saturday’s governorship election, hailing the conduct of the poll as a demonstration of democratic maturity by the people of the state.

Oyebanji, the All Progressives Congress candidate, won the June 20 election with 319,224 votes, defeating his closest rival, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Wole Oluyede, who polled 40,543 votes. The result was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Chief Returning Officer, Mrs Adenike Oladiji, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday.

Out of 988,251 registered voters and 384,949 accredited voters across the state’s 16 local government areas, a total of 382,109 votes were cast, with 6,332 rejected.

Tinubu, who had vigorously championed Oyebanji’s re-election bid in the lead-up to the poll, warmly received the governor at the Presidential Villa to personally extend his congratulations. The president had at the APC grand finale mega rally in Ado-Ekiti earlier in the week where he was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima praised Oyebanji as a leader who came into office fully prepared to serve, describing him as a humble and patient governor who had kept the machinery of governance firmly focused on the people. Tinubu had at that occasion pointed to several completed projects in the state, including one of the longest flyovers in the country, as evidence of Oyebanji’s commitment to delivering on his promises.

The election had drawn overwhelming attention from the ruling party, with 18 governors, 24 senators, and scores of House of Representatives members attending the APC’s campaign rally to show solidarity with the incumbent.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio described Oyebanji as the most parliament-friendly governor in Nigeria, while APC National Campaign Council Chairman and Kaduna Governor, Uba Sani called the victory an emphatic affirmation of the governor’s inclusive leadership and track record in areas such as education, workers’ welfare, transportation, and road construction.

The election also witnessed a notable cross-party endorsement, with former PDP governor, Ayodele Fayose publicly backing Oyebanji ahead of the vote, citing the governor’s unifying approach to politics as his primary motivation.

With his second term now secured, Oyebanji has promised that the next four years will be even more impactful than his first, as he builds on the foundation laid since taking office in 2022.