President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appealed to voters in Ekiti State to give him at least 90 per cent of the votes in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, declaring that opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, lack the political experience and leadership credentials to match his record.
Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the appeal on Thursday at the APC presidential campaign rally held at the 12,000-capacity Ekitiparapo Pavilion, Ado-Ekiti. He commended Ekiti voters for re-electing Governor Biodun Oyebanji with 87.5 per cent of the votes in the June 20 governorship election, describing the result as evidence of the state’s strong commitment to the APC.
The President praised Oyebanji for uniting former governors and opposition leaders behind his administration and the APC’s 2027 electoral ambition. He cited the alignment of former governors Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose, Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi as evidence of the growing political unity in the state. Highlighting his administration’s achievements, Tinubu listed the completion of the Ado-Ikere-Akure Road, approval of reconstruction contracts for the Ado-Ijan-Iluomoba-Ikole and Ado-Aramoko-Ita-Ore roads, and the establishment of a federal university at Iyin-Ekiti. He also mentioned the students’ loan scheme benefiting students of Ekiti State University and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology.
Governor Oyebanji, who led former opposition governorship candidate, Dr Wole Oluyede, and other political stakeholders to the rally, declared that Ekiti was united behind Tinubu’s re-election bid. He assured the President’s representatives that the state would surpass its previous electoral performance by delivering at least 90 per cent of the votes in 2027, describing it as appreciation for the Federal Government’s developmental projects and support for women and youths in the state.
Similarly, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, assured Tinubu that Northerners would not betray him, recalling his contributions to the political growth of leaders from the region. He urged Ekiti voters to deliver at least 900,000 votes for the President, expressing confidence that the political unity fostered by Oyebanji would make the target achievable. Yari also appealed to voters across the South-West to support Tinubu, citing what he described as reductions in food prices and the administration’s commitment to national development.
The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, and the Ekiti APC Chairman, Barrister Sola Elesin, also commended party members and supporters for their loyalty, urging them to sustain their support for Tinubu. They maintained that the President’s re-election would consolidate the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda rather than return the country to what they described as retrogression.
The rally attracted prominent political figures, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Ibijoke; Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa; former Ekiti governors Kayode Fayemi, Ayodele Fayose and Niyi Adebayo; Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye; Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye; Senators Yemi Adaramodu and Cyril Fasuyi, members of the National and State Assemblies, ministers, commissioners, party leaders, traders, civil servants and commercial motorcycle operators. The pavilion was filled to capacity, with supporters and political stakeholders expressing enthusiasm for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election ambition.
