By Ademu Idakwo, Abuja , Alo Abiola, Ado-Ekiti
The All Progressives Congress (APC) opened a commanding lead in the Ekiti State governorship election on Saturday as results from polling units continued to appear on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) Portal amid ongoing collation across the state.
Data aggregated from results already uploaded to the IReV portal showed APC maintaining a wide margin over its rivals.
Of the 2,128 polling units uploaded out of the total 2,445 across the state, APC secured 167,282 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 25,079 votes and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) recorded 5,977 votes.
The figures reflected only results already transmitted to IReV and did not constitute the official declaration of the election, which remained the responsibility of INEC after completion of state collation.
The accelerated upload of results added momentum to expectations that the commission could announce the official outcome later in the day.
Earlier in the evening, INEC disclosed that results from 2,048 polling units had already been uploaded to the portal as of 6:41 p.m., representing 83.7 per cent of total polling units statewide.
The figure represented a sharp rise from the earlier upload level of 35.5 per cent and signalled increased transmission activity as counting and collation progressed.
The development came as INEC also announced that 92.31 per cent of polling units across Ekiti opened on schedule during Saturday’s governorship election.
In an update issued on its official X account after voting concluded in most locations, the commission stated that all 2,445 designated polling units eventually opened and conducted voting.
According to INEC, 2,257 polling units, representing 92.31 per cent, commenced operations before 8:30 a.m., while 188 polling units, or 7.69 per cent, experienced delays but opened before 10:30 a.m.
“Voting has officially ended in most Polling Units across Ekiti State following the close of polls at 2:30 p.m.
“Earlier in the day, all 2,445 Polling Units were successfully opened for the Governorship Election: 2,257 PUs (92.31%) opened on schedule before 8:30 a.m.
“188 PUs (7.69%) experienced minor delays but commenced voting before 10:30 a.m. The process remained peaceful and orderly,” the commission stated.
The election, which attracted national attention as one of Nigeria’s key off-cycle governorship contests, featured 14 candidates.
Incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the APC sought re-election ahead of the expiration of his first term in October.
Other leading contenders included Dr Wole Oluyede of the PDP, Ambassador Dare Bejide of the ADC, Oyebanji Olajuyin of the Labour Party (LP), and Blessing Abegunde of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Results started appearing on IReV hours after voting and counting concluded in several locations following public attention over delays in online uploads.
Across many parts of Ekiti, voting commenced early as election officials, electoral materials and security personnel arrived at polling centres on schedule.
Reports monitored by our correspondent indicated that by 8:00 a.m., many INEC officials had reached their assigned polling units and commenced preparations for accreditation and voting.
There was early voter turnout across Ado-Ekiti and surrounding communities, with residents arriving at polling centres from about 6:30 a.m.
Areas with significant turnout included Okesa, Ereguru, Odo Ado, Ijigbo, Ajilosun, Adebayo, Oke Bola, Atinkankan, Okeyinmi, and Oke Ila.
Polling units visited included Ado/Oke Ward 10 PU9, Eleyiowo Ward 8 PU9 and Ereguru Ward 8 Polling Units 004 and 005, where queues formed before accreditation commenced.
Despite the generally peaceful conduct of voting, operational concerns emerged in some polling units, particularly involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
In areas with higher turnout among elderly voters, officials reportedly encountered temporary difficulties during biometric verification, slowing accreditation and lengthening waiting periods.
The situation created queues in affected polling centres as voters repeatedly attempted verification before casting ballots.
At Polling Unit 007 in Ado-Ekiti, election officials reportedly repeatedly struggled to accredit elderly voters after the BVAS struggled to capture biometric data.
One affected voter, identified as 90-year-old Mama Adesomo Afolabi at PU 007, Ado “J” Okesa, reportedly could not complete accreditation after repeated attempts to capture both facial and fingerprint records.
Similar incidents were reported in parts of Ikere Local Government Area and other locations.
Speaking at Polling Unit 13, Ward 20, Iyin 1, Iyin-Ekiti, the Presiding Officer, Mercy Omeiza, acknowledged the challenge.
“The BVAS is not capturing most of the old people. We asked them to wait while we continued trying,” she said.
The delays also generated reactions from political stakeholders.
Former presidential aide and APC chieftain Senator Babafemi Ojudu commended voters for maintaining peace but expressed concern over accreditation delays linked to BVAS performance.
Similarly, PDP governorship candidate Dr Wole Oluyede urged election officials to ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised due to technical challenges.
Election observers under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Election Observation Hub noted that election materials and officials arrived early in many monitored locations despite isolated procedural concerns.
Yiaga Africa also raised concerns over inconsistencies observed in election materials deployed for the exercise, warning that discrepancies between ballot papers and official result sheets could create avoidable challenges during documentation and collation.
In a preliminary statement signed by Dr Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission, and Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, the organisation said its observers’ findings showed differences between the ballot papers in circulation, the polling unit result sheets, and the final list of candidates published by INEC.
According to Yiaga Africa, the Form EC8A, the official polling unit result sheet used for recording votes, contained spaces for 15 political parties, while ballot papers reflected 19 parties, despite INEC’s updated final list indicating 14 participating parties.
The organisation said the discrepancies may have resulted from legal and administrative adjustments before election day, but warned that they could create uncertainty in vote recording and reconciliation during collation.
Yiaga Africa urged INEC to publicly clarify the final list of participating parties and issue written guidance to election officials to ensure uniform implementation of procedures.
There were also isolated allegations of vote-buying despite repeated warnings from electoral authorities and security agencies.
One reported incident occurred in Ilawe-Ekiti, where an individual was reportedly injured during a clash involving supporters of the ADC and APC following allegations of vote inducement.
Despite the concerns, many polling centres recorded peaceful voting.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji, after casting his ballot at Unit 003, Ward 6, Okelele Street, Ikogosi-Ekiti, expressed satisfaction with turnout and described feedback from across the state as encouraging.
He appealed to voters to remain patient with INEC, noting that operational glitches could occur while expressing confidence that every eligible voter would be allowed to vote.
Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele also commended the turnout and the deployment of personnel and materials.
According to him, the conduct of the election reflected gradual improvements in Nigeria’s electoral process and stronger compliance with electoral laws.
INEC has continued to urge voters and stakeholders to rely only on official channels for verified election information as collation enters its final stages.
The collation, however, continues across the 16 local government areas, and more polling unit results are being uploaded on the IReV.