Ekiti 2026: Three-horse race looms as INEC timetable triggers political fireworks

With the clock ticking toward the June 2026 governorship poll, Ekiti’s political space has become a beehive of activities as the ruling APC, the PDP and the ADC battle for structure, numbers and narrative supremacy, ABIODUN NEJO writes

The political parties billed to participate in the 2026 Ekiti governorship election are currently facing internal politics to choose candidates who will fly their flags and lead the parties to victory. But there is only one seat for one winner.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed between October 20 and November 10, 2025 for party primaries, while the parties have till January 12, 2026 to perfect who their candidates would be as INEC publishes the final list of candidates on January 19, 2026.

This is ahead of the official commencement of campaigns in public on January 21, 2026 as contained in Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which states that campaigns in public by every political party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.

The parties intending to participate in the election, ever-persuaded that winning is a game of numbers, are leaving no stone unturned in attracting members and supporters from other parties, groups, and communities.

The major parties going into the 2026 Ekiti election are the governing All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress and the Social Democratic Party.

A lot of intrigues are playing out in the different political parties, giving the impression that there may be surprises going forward.

In APC, four aspirants – the governor, Biodun Oyebanji; Kayode Ojo; Abimbola Olawumi and Atinuke Oluremi participated in the party screening. Oyebanji and Oluremi were cleared while Ojo and Olawumi were disqualified.

In PDP, four contenders – a former Commissioner for Works, Mrs Funmi Ogun; a medical practitioner, Dr Wole Oluyede; an aviation expert, Peter Obafemi; and Dr Funso Ayeni, are contesting for the party ticket.

For the new coalition platform, African Democratic Congress, 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.

However, the three leading political parties – APC, PDP and ADC – have a common goal, which is to win the governorship election and occupy the exalted Oke Ayoba Government House effective from October 16, 2026.

Political watchers are, however, divided on whether or not the opposition PDP and ADC can have the sufficient muscle to stop the governing APC from being re-elected to continue in office beyond 2026.

We’ll shock APC – ADC

The ADC state chairman, Ilesanmi Omolayo, said his party was out to win the election and change the narrative in Ekiti State.

Omolayo added that the ADC, going by the coalition, had been strengthened by political heavyweights who joined the party.

He said, “With the combination, we have assurance that we are going to win. These people are the election victory deciders in their local governments.

“They have come from PDP, APC, SDP and Obidients. Others are still contacting us to say that they are coming to join us because they know that ADC is the only alternative. That is our strength. We have the spread across the state.

“We are planning to win, to make sure that ADC produces the next Governor of Ekiti State. We are not out to play nor out to try our luck. We are preparing, touching all the areas necessary at the units, wards, LGAs, and state levels. We are putting our house in order, this in turn makes us fully prepared.”

The ADC chairman, who said the party doors were open for new entrants and members still interested in the governorship, hinted that the process for the emergence of the flagbearer would be transparent, credible and acceptable.

“A formidable candidate will emerge in the process. That is part of our strategy to win the election. We don’t want any post-primary crisis. We don’t want any situation where any of our aspirants will feel somehow behind. We are not going to impose any aspirant, our national body will bring all of them together and talk to them. Our candidate will emerge in a transparent manner without any bias or partiality.

“Ekiti people are tired of the incumbent governor; they are looking towards something new, looking towards our party. PDP is no more on the ground in Ekiti State. PDP has been emptied into our party. Those remaining in PDP are just out to make money from their primary.

“People are still coming from APC to join us. We are in talks, and consultation is ongoing. The situation in APC now shows that the party is not at peace with itself; there is a problem within. APC is in a deep mess because people are tired of them and they have internal problems.

“The APC crisis can never be resolved. Their primary will be tough and ADC will reap bountifully from it. So, as it stands, PDP has a problem, APC has a problem, and we are the bride. People are celebrating us now and looking up to us.”

Omolayo assured that “ADC government will make Ekiti a good place to live, work and relax in”, saying the party hoped to rewrite the story of the state with intervention in all sectors of its economy, with special focus on education, roads, infrastructure, agriculture, industrialisation, health, women, and youths.

Nothing can stop us – PDP

The PDP, which has produced two governors — Ayodele Fayose and Segun Oni — is convinced that it has a strong support and membership base to unseat the Oyebanji-led APC government and return to Oke Ayoba.

As the aspirants expressed optimism of returning to the Government House through the 2026 election, a chieftain and PDP Southwest Publicity Secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, reiterated the party’s preparedness for victory in the election.

Atofarati said, “The PDP has released its guidelines for the party primaries in Ekiti State Chapter. The party is well-prepared, and we have been able to identify some areas with flaws in the last election. We are trying as a party to bridge the gaps and ensure inclusivity in the preparations for the primary and governorship elections.

“What the party is doing now is to have the delegates for the election. The Delegates Congress, where delegates will be elected, is upcoming. When delegates are elected, you can be sure that we will present the most popular candidate from the PDP.

“Ekiti people are eagerly waiting for PDP 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.”

The PDP chieftain, who said Ekiti people were disappointed by Oyebanji administration’s failure in office, said the misunderstanding among APC leaders in the state had even compounded the situation of the governing party, which would eventually lead to its woes in the election.

He said, “The Oyebanji administration failed in governance. Today, there is no accessible road to the state, and nothing significant has been achieved. Nothing is going into the schools, the schools are dilapidated. Talk of agriculture, the road situation has worsened the plight of farmers; state infrastructures has collapsed.

“Nothing is happening in Ekiti State despite the humongous amount of allocations to the state monthly from the Federation Account. Look at the airport that was commissioned many years ago by the APC administration; only birds are flying around there. There is nothing significant for him to campaign with, even within his own party, to win primaries.”

Atofarati dismissed members who had exited the party as “those who cannot win elections and do not want PDP to win”, saying the party had moved on and was presently receiving defectors from other parties.

“We are very much prepared. Those who do not want to work with us have left; now you can see how people are trooping into the PDP in Ekiti State. People are expecting us.

“Ekiti people are predominantly PDP; they know that their elections have been rigged in the past. Now they have realised it. As a party, we have been able to identify all the losses, and we are putting right pegs in the right holes,” Atofarati said.

‘Poll walkover for APC’

However, APC state Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, described the PDP and ADC as “mere noise, mere election campaign propaganda and daydreaming.”

Dipe said, “For the primaries, our party is the most prepared. We have a clear-cut understanding of what we are doing, and we know where we are going. 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.

“Talking about primary, except that we are going to deceive ourselves, everybody in Ekiti knows where the primary will head towards. We have an incumbent in power who has been established as a performing governor.

“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 going to be a walkover for him. The June 20, 2026 election will also be a walkover for us as a party.”

Going by the gale of endorsements for Oyebanji and his achievements, there is the belief among residents he will have a clean sweep at the governorship primaries scheduled for October 27.

But political watchers, who were waiting to see who would pick the APC governorship ticket between Oyebanji and Ojo, were shocked when on Thursday October 9, the APC National Working Committee announced the latter’s disqualification.

That was the day a huge crowd of supporters welcomed Ojo to the state to officially declare his intention to contest for the party ticket.

The Chairman, Kayode Ojo Team, Olukayode Oluyemo, had earlier said Ojo would clinch the APC ticket and go ahead to win the election.

“Oyebanji has failed woefully. The people are prepared to elect Kayode Ojo. In any fair contest, Kayode Ojo will defeat Oyebanji.”

However, the Ojo camp has been silent since his disqualification, with supporters hoping that the needful would be done and their candidate cleared to contest.

Dipe, while dismissing the hopes of ADC and PDP to reap from the fallout of APC primaries, said, “APC has an internal mechanism of resolving issues in case of any post-primary crisis or some people who are disgruntled after the primary.

“After primary, the party will be as united as ever. We will not have any crisis that can cause a major crack in our party. Everybody who is who in Ekiti APC is speaking with one voice today. We may have concerns, they can’t scratch or crack the party.

“It is a natural thing in politics that some people will want to feast on your crises. They will be disappointed. Take away APC and PDP, and there is no other party that can take advantage of the political situation. In Ekiti, PDP is opposition only in name; then we cannot nurture any fear or threat from any lesser party.

“There is no division in our party. APC is one and a whole. There can be internal wrangling, which will not pose any threat to the formidability of our party in Ekiti. We do not have anything that threatens our structure or our system.

“Our party’s strength, foremost, is the performance of the governor, who is widely acclaimed as the best so far. Internally and from outside, they regard him as a performing governor. That is a plus for us.

“There is also no strong opposition party against us. All the known parties in opposition have gravitated towards us and have assured us that they are in support of our governor running for a second term,” Dipe said. (Punch)