By Chesa Chesa
Ekiti State State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, says he is favored to break the jinx of one-term governorship tenures in the State as there is no division in Ekiti All Progressives Congress (APC), contrary to what is speculation in some media reports.
Speaking on Wednesday at the APC headquarters in Abuja when he submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms to seek re-election in the 2026 governorship election, Oyebanji also said he maintained cordial relationship with formers Governors of the state, especially his predecessor, Kayode Fayemi.
According to him: “The beauty of democracy is freedom of expression. People are entitled to their opinions, but the massive show of support we have here today does not reflect a divided party.
“Former governors, deputy governors, National Assembly members, local government chairmen, and other stakeholders are united behind the APC in Ekiti State. Ours is one of the strongest chapters in the country.
“As for my relationship with former Governor Fayemi, it remains cordial. He is actively involved in party activities and will attend our forthcoming stakeholders’ meeting in Ekiti. Talk of division is mere propaganda. Ekiti APC remains united and indivisible.”
He distanced himself from the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying that those linking him and his predecessor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to the ADC were doing so not only out of mischief but to score political goals.
Oyebanji, who was escorted to the party secretariat by hundreds of party faithful, including the entire state and National Assemblies members from the state, members of the state executive council, local council chairmen and councillors, declared that “there are no polling units on social media. So, anybody can say anything. They are entitled to say anything.
“If you look at the people you saw here today, is there any indication that Ekiti State is an ADC state? So linking me to the ADC is clearly mischievous. As at the last count, Kayode Fayemi has not told me that he is a member of the ADC.”
He told the party hierarchy: “Since the creation of the Ekiti state, no government has done a second term in a stretch. And this has retarded the development of the state.
“If the people have chosen to come in this number, to plead with you, to help us remove this reproach from us as a state, we see it as a jinx that must be broken. it’s not in our best interest as a people. And by the same grace of God, I have a divine mandate to break that jinx; and that jinx will be broken because God sent us for this purpose.”
On his achievements so far in office, Oyebamiji said “we have achieved close to 80 per cent completion of inherited projects, because these projects belong to the people and were funded with public resources.
“We have also created conditions for productivity. A people who are not productive cannot prosper. So, we put in place the building blocks for productivity — infrastructure, electricity, and healthcare. For example, more than 60 communities that had been in darkness for nearly two decades have now been connected to the grid.”
