With the unending crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the absence of cohesion among other opposition parties, Ekiti electorate may be left with limited choices in the 2026 governorship election. The development is gradually tilting the state towards the reality of a one-party system, AYODELE AFOLABI reports.

Ahead of the July 20, 2026, governorship election in Ekiti State, voters in the Land of Honour and Integrity may have little or no alternative beyond the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, as opposition political parties continue to flounder.

Since 1999, gubernatorial elections in Ekiti have always been fiercely contested between the APC and the PDP. That pattern changed dramatically in 2022 when the PDP lost its status as the main challenger to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). In that election, the SDP candidate, Segun Oni, came second while the PDP flagbearer, Olabisi Kolawole, trailed at a distant third.

The APC secured 187,057 votes to win the contest, while the SDP polled 82,211 votes and the PDP 67,457. The remaining 13 political parties, including Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Labour Party (LP), Accord (A), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), collectively mustered just 12,400 votes, representing about 4.5 per cent of the ballots cast.

That outcome underscored the fragility of the opposition. Since then, the space has further narrowed. Oni and his loyalists have defected to the APC, leaving the SDP a shadow of itself. The PDP remains bogged down by internal wrangling, legal battles and mass defections. Other parties hardly exist beyond posters and billboards.

PDP’s threesome burden

ANALYSTS often describe PDP in Ekiti as weighed down by three major burdens: interminable crises, endless litigations and serial defections.

The first crisis traces back to September 2017, when former governor Ayodele Fayose unilaterally picked his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as the sole governorship candidate even before the party primary. The imposition alienated other aspirants, including former Minister of State for Works, Dayo Adeyeye; Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi; former Ambassador to Canada, Dare Bejide; former Deputy Governor Bisi Omoyeni; and ex-Attorney General Owoseeni Ajayi.

The aggrieved aspirants rebelled and pursued their ambitions on other platforms. That decision fractured the PDP base, weakened its structure across the 16 local councils and planted seeds of disunity that have festered till today.

The second burden is litigation. At almost every turn, the party has been dragged to court by its members. Some of the suits have been overtaken by events, but at least five remain pending. For instance, on August 8, 2025, a State High Court in Ado-Ekiti voided the PDP local government congress held in May while upholding the ward congress conducted in March. Justice Bamidele Omotoso’s ruling, delivered in Motion Ex parte HAD/424M/2025 filed by Afolabi Adedeji, threw the party’s congresses into disarray.

Such disputes have stalled the party’s reorganisation ahead of the 2026 poll. Instead of presenting a united front, aspirants remain trapped in legal uncertainty.

The third burden is the steady erosion of membership. Top leaders and financiers have either crossed to the APC or embraced the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a coalition newly unveiled in July 2025. Former Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi, arguably the only PDP politician to win any election in Ekiti since 2018, recently defected to the APC, taking her formidable grassroots machinery with her.

ADC’s sudden rise

WHILE PDP fragments, the ADC has emerged as a surprising rallying point. At its unveiling in Ado-Ekiti on July 25, 2025, the party paraded an impressive roll call of defectors, many of them once pillars of PDP or APC.

Those in attendance included Prof. Olusola Eleka, former deputy governor under Fayose; Gboyega Aribisogan, ex-Speaker of Ekiti Assembly; Dr Tae Lawal, one-time deputy governor under Segun Oni; and Dare Bejide, former Secretary to the State Government and ambassador. Also present were Chief Dipo Anisulowo, Fayose’s former Chief of Staff; Akin Omole, ex-Commissioner for Information under Kayode Fayemi; and Modupe Alade, former SSG under Fayose.

Several ex-members of the House of Representatives and Assembly, commissioners and political strategists also joined, signalling what analysts describe as “a harvest of defectors.”

Yet, questions remain over whether ADC can translate big names into electoral structure. While it may benefit from disenchanted PDP loyalists, observers say it lacks the deep grassroots organisation and funding muscle required to challenge the APC in less than a year.

Meanwhile, the APC appears solid under Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who is seeking a second term. The defections of Oni and Olujimi have bolstered its ranks. Moreover, Fayose, once APC’s fiercest adversary, has openly endorsed Oyebanji’s re-election bid. For the first time since 1999, Ekiti may witness a governorship election where the ruling party enters with not only an incumbency advantage but also a broad elite consensus across former rivals.

Still, political watchers caution against complacency. APC could face cracks after its primaries, especially if aggrieved aspirants bolt to opposition platforms. “In politics, 24 hours is a long time,” noted public affairs analyst Dr Wole Balogun. “An unexpected coalition could alter the game.”

The weakening of opposition raises concerns beyond 2026. Balogun warned that a lack of viable challengers could undermine the credibility and competitiveness of the election. “If Oyebanji wins unchallenged, not necessarily because of performance but due to opposition collapse, it would dent the legitimacy of the poll,” he said.

Femi Olajide added that limited choice might fuel voter apathy. “Poor turnout could hand Oyebanji an undue advantage, entrenching a one-party system in Ekiti. That would be dangerous for multiparty democracy,” he said.

Indeed, Ekiti has prided itself on vibrant contests since the Fourth Republic began. In 2003, Fayose unseated an incumbent governor. In 2014, he returned to power in dramatic fashion. But such shifts may no longer be possible if the opposition continues to implode.

Despite its troubles, some aspirants insist PDP can still reclaim power. Dr Wole Oluyede, a medical doctor and former APC aspirant, is seeking the party’s ticket. Also in the race are former Commissioner for Works, Funmilayo Ogun, and aviation executive, Peter Obafemi.

Ogun expressed confidence that PDP could surprise sceptics, while Obafemi stressed the need for “responsible leadership and good governance.” Yet, doubts persist over whether any of them can campaign effectively under a fractured platform still enmeshed in lawsuits and defections.

The anti-party stance of Fayose further complicates matters. Although he remains in PDP, his open support for Oyebanji has demoralised party loyalists. For many, it signals the death knell of PDP’s chances in 2026.

Implications of the Ekiti elite rallying behind Oyebanji
THE democratic scene is witnessing an unusual alignment. For the first time since the state’s creation in 1996, virtually all major power blocs and political heavyweights appear to be united behind the incumbent governor. What is unfolding is not merely elite consensus, but also a calculated move that may determine how the future of democracy plays out in Ekiti.

Former governors of the state, Ayodele Fayose, Kayode Fayemi, Segun Oni and Niyi Adebayo, have all, in different ways, signalled support for Oyebanji’s re-election bid. This rare show of solidarity is striking, considering the historical rivalry that has defined Ekiti politics.

Fayose, a two-term governor on the platform of PDP, has publicly praised Oyebanji’s style of governance, while Fayemi, under whose administration Oyebanji served as Secretary to the State Government, has effectively handed over his formidable political network to the incumbent. Segun Oni, who once battled Oyebanji fiercely in court after the 2022 election, has toned down his opposition, with close allies increasingly warming up to the governor.

At the National Assembly, Ekiti’s lawmakers across political divides, both those loyal to Fayemi and others previously aligned with opposition camps, have endorsed the governor. This unprecedented consensus means that Oyebanji now enjoys not only the institutional backing of the ruling APC, but also a bipartisan endorsement from figures who once fragmented the state’s political landscape.

Still, one crucial approval is outstanding: that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In the APC tradition, gubernatorial candidates of strategic states often await the tacit blessing of the president. For Oyebanji, who has cultivated a loyalist image rather than a combative one, Tinubu’s nod would cement his candidacy and render the opposition almost non-existent ahead of 2026.

While this convergence of elite support may guarantee political stability, it raises critical questions about the future of democracy in Ekiti. On the one hand, Oyebanji’s ability to draw together erstwhile rivals is being hailed as a sign of maturity and continuity, ensuring that governance is not derailed by needless partisanship. It could also free the governor to focus on delivering projects rather than engaging in endless political battles.

On the other hand, Ekiti people risk losing the essence of democratic choice. With all major elites collapsing into one camp, the electorate may be left with no credible opposition voice to challenge the ruling party. This scenario breeds the danger of voter apathy, as many may see little point in turning out for an election whose outcome appears predetermined. The absence of strong opposition also weakens accountability, since the governor may not feel pressured to outperform rivals.

Ultimately, the elite consensus around Oyebanji reflects both opportunity and risk. For the governor, it secures political space to consolidate his administration. For the people, however, it poses the dilemma of whether stability should come at the expense of vibrant democratic contests.

As the countdown to July 2026 continues, Ekiti faces the real prospect of an election dominated by APC, with ADC struggling to organise and PDP weakened almost beyond recognition.

For the electorate, this raises troubling questions. Will voters truly have a choice? Will turnout shrink because citizens see the outcome as pre-determined? And what does this say about Nigeria’s multiparty democracy if one of its most competitive states drifts into effective one-party rule?

Observers warn that Ekiti’s situation is a microcosm of a larger national problem, weak opposition, endless defections and politics reduced to elite bargains rather than ideology or performance. Unless the opposition reawakens, Ekiti’s 2026 governorship poll may set a dangerous precedent.