10 Political Facts About Ekiti That Could Shape Governorship Election Outcome

The people of Ekiti State will be going to the polling unit on Saturday, June 20, for one of Nigeria's closely monitored off-cycle governorship elections in the country.

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The forthcoming election will determine who will lead the southwest state in the next four years and shape discussions around governance, development and political direction in one of Nigeria's political engage state.

Governorship elections in Nigeria often attract attention at the national level, but the Ekiti gubernatorial poll has built a reputation over the years as one of the states where elections are fiercely contested and monitored by observers, who analyse the decision of the voters.

Ekiti governor

Biodun Oyebanjo is the governor of Ekiti. He is seeking re-election in the Saturday exercise and is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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The APC currently controls the State House of Assembly and is the dominant political force in the southwest state.

Ekiti political space

This is one of the most politically competitive states in Nigeria. Political control of the state has changed hands between political parties since the return of democracy in Nigeria.

The state has often attracted national attention during elections because the people are politically conscious, and history has shown that governorship races are closely contested.

Ekiti's former governors

It has produced five democratically elected governors since its creation. At the same time, the election has not only been determined through the poll, but also through the court.

Those who have governed the state are Adeniyi Adebayo, Ayo Fayose, Olusegun Oni, Kayode Fayemi and Mr Oyebanji. Oni took office in May 2007 after the court voided his election.

Local governments in Ekiti

The Saturday governorship election is expected to be conducted in the 16 local governments in the state, which are Ado-Ekiti, Efon, Ekiti East, Ekiti South-West, Ekiti West, Emure, Gbonyin, Ido/Osi, Ijero, Ikere, Ikole, Ilejemeje, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise/Orun, Moba and Oye.

However, Ado-Ekiti, which also serves as the capital, is expected to produce a large number of voters. It is the most economically vibrant and urbanised local government in the state.

List of registered voters

According to BBC Pidgin, the Ekiti governorship election is expected to have a turnout of 1,059,360 residents, who are registered voters in the state.

The registered voters were said to have increased by 66,000, compared to the number of registered voters in the 2022 governorship elections in the state.

Ekiti election: How many candidates?

There are 16 governorship candidates contesting in the election, including Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

Ekiti is young

The southwest state is one of the youngest states in Nigeria. It was created by the late military head of state, General Sani Abacha, from the old Ondo State in 1996.

Mohammed Bawa, a military personnel, was the first governor of the state, and its capital is Ado-Ekiti.

Ekiti landmark

It is also one of the smallest states in Nigeria by land size, occupying about 5,888 square kilometres in the southwest region.

The state shares borders with Kwara in the north, Kogi in the north-east, Ondo in the south and east and Osun in the west.

Ekiti population

Ekiti is estimated to be home to 2,384,212 people according to the 2006 National Population Census.

While the national census has not been conducted since 2006, population projections have suggested an increase in the last two decades.

Ekiti Motto

The state is often referred to as the Fountain of Knowledge, and it is strongly associated with education. It earned the nickname for its longstanding reputation of producing academics, lawyers, teachers, judges and other professionals.

Many families in the state value and invest in education. This suggested that the election will be contested by intellectuals.