Voting commenced on Saturday morning in the Ekiti State governorship election, with electoral activities beginning at about 8:30 a.m. at the polling unit of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in Ikogosi, Ekiti West Local Government Area.
Chronicles Reporters observed that election officials arrived at Polling Unit 003, Foutage of Oyebanji Okelele, Ward 06, Ikogosi, and immediately commenced voter accreditation and voting in line with the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At the polling unit, which has a total of 668 registered voters, residents were seen arriving peacefully to exercise their franchise in the election expected to determine whether Governor Oyebanji secures another four-year term in office.
However, a development that drew attention at the polling centre was the absence of party agents from opposition political parties. As of the time of filing this report, only the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had a party agent present at the governor’s polling unit.
The absence of representatives from other political parties has raised questions among observers about the level of grassroots mobilisation and election monitoring by opposition parties in the governor’s stronghold.
The election is being conducted across Ekiti State’s 16 local government areas and 177 wards, with over one million registered voters expected to participate in the exercise.
Earlier, INEC confirmed the successful distribution of sensitive election materials across the state and assured voters of the readiness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation and result management.
A total of 10 political parties are participating in the governorship election. Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the APC is seeking re-election against candidates from several opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), among others.
As voting continues across the state, election observers, security agencies and political stakeholders are closely monitoring the process for compliance with electoral guidelines and to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible election.
The outcome of the Ekiti governorship poll is widely seen as a major political test ahead of the 2027 general elections.