By Okoi Obono-Obla
Ekiti State is one of the states in the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is predominantly inhabited by the Ekiti people, a subgroup of the Yoruba ethnic nationality, who constitute the majority of the state’s population.
The state was created on October 1, 1996, from the old Ondo State by the military administration of General Sani Abacha, and has its capital in Ado-Ekiti.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voter register released in October 2026 ahead of the 2027 general elections, Ekiti State has 1,055,708 registered voters, making it the state with the smallest voting population in the country.
The 2026 governorship election was held on June 20, 2026. INEC declared the incumbent, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner with a landslide victory. He polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals, Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 40,543 votes, and the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who polled 12,872 votes, across all 16 Local Government Areas.
Ekiti State is largely considered a solid APC enclave and has remained within the orbit of the progressive political family in recent years, except in 2014, when the then-incumbent Governor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, lost his bid for a second term.
2027 Outlook
Undoubtedly, anyone interested in political punditry ahead of the 2027 presidential, State and National Assembly elections would not hesitate to project how the electorate will vote in Ekiti State. It is expected to vote as a solid bloc for the APC presidential candidate and its array of State and National Assembly candidates.
This projection is anchored on the Governor, who is regarded as, and is in fact, a nexus of the power establishment in the state. As Chief Executive, he is expected to deploy his extensive network and contacts with traditional rulers and Obas, as well as Local Government Area chairmen and councillors in the nooks and crannies of the state, with maximum effect to deliver a resolute and solid victory for all APC candidates.
I do not think the ADC and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) – the party under which Peter Obi is running in the 2027 presidential election – will likely score 25 percent of the total votes cast in the state during the presidential election because they lack appeal and traction with the electorate there.
Conclusion
In sum, while Ekiti remains Nigeria’s smallest electorate, its political significance far outweighs its numbers. With its homogenous voting culture, strong progressive heritage, and the incumbent governor’s firm grip on the traditional and grassroots structures, the state is poised to remain a fortress for the APC in 2027. For the opposition ADC and NDC to make any meaningful inroad, they will need to do far more than field popular presidential candidates; they must build a credible local machinery that currently does not exist in the Fountain of Knowledge State.
