‘No Voting Centers Online’ — Oyebanji Slams Detractors

Biodun Oyebanji, the Governor of Ekiti State, has shrugged off online criticism of his administration in the wake of his re-election, emphasizing that social media commentary has no bearing on the outcome of elections, and Oyebanji made this statement on Sunday after winning a second term in office.

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His re-election was secured following the governorship election held in Ekiti State on June 20, and Oyebanji addressed his supporters, stressing that electoral judgments are ultimately made at the ballot box, not on digital platforms.

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Oyebanji noted that performance and direct engagement with citizens are the real determinants of electoral success, and he drove home this point by saying, "There are no polling units on social media."

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The governor drew an analogy between governance and farming, observing that those who work the ground are rewarded during harvest season, while others who remain inactive focus on online commentary, and he illustrated this by saying, "A farmer who has diligently tilled the ground does not interfere on the day of harvest."

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Oyebanji further observed that individuals who fail to connect with citizens often resort to media criticism instead of grassroots engagement, and he argued that if a government has performed well, the people will vote for it, but if not, critics will "stay on social media whipping up sentiments."

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Oyebanji won a sweeping victory across all 16 local government areas of the state in the election, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rival, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 40,543 votes.

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Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came third with 12,872 votes, and these results were announced by INEC Returning Officer, Adenike Oladiji, at the collation centre in Ado-Ekiti.

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According to the commission, 384,940 voters were accredited from 988,251 registered voters, while 375,777 votes were valid and 6,332 rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 382,109.

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The election was largely peaceful, although reports of vote-buying allegations, voter suppression concerns, and technical glitches involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) were recorded in some areas.

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Oyebanji, who first assumed office in 2022, will now continue for a second term following his decisive re-election victory, which was officially declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).