The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, and former deputy Governor, Professor Modupe Adelabu led other frontline leaders of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, on Monday, to endorse Governor Biodun Oyebanji as the party’s sole candidate for the 2026 governorship poll in the state.
The endorsement was passed, at a special senatorial meeting, organised by the APC leaders and stakeholders from Ekiti Central Senatorial District, held at the Fajuyi Pavilion, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State Capital.
The endorsement motion, ratified through a thunderous voice vote, was moved and seconded by frontline leaders from the five local government area of the district. The leaders include Senator Babafemi Ojudu, a two-time commissioner, Mrs Ronke Okunsanya, serving House of Representatives’ members, Hon. Biodun Omoleye and Sola Fatoba, a former Acting Governor in the state Rt Hon Tope Ademiluyi, former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Wumi Ogunlola, and other party elders.
Justifying the reasons for the endorsement in a resolution presented to the APC Acting State Chairman, Sola Elesin and via a letter transmitted to the Governor, by former Deputy Governor and Chairman, Ekiti Central APC Stakeholders, Prof Modupe Adelabu, the party restated that Oyebanji has been endorsed as the sole candidate for the next election slated for 2026.
For clarity, Adelabu said the action doesn’t abridge the rights of other APC members to contest for the plum seat. What the endorsement means, according to her is that Oyebanji will get full and solid backing of all APC members in the senatorial district in the coming poll.
Addressing the mammoth crowd of party supporters that thronged the venue of the political gathering, the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the action taken by party members signposted that they value continuity of good governance for Ekiti’s development to spiral.
The Senate Leader saluted all the past governors of the State: Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Engr Segun Oni, Chief Ayodele Fayose and Dr Kayode Fayemi for their contributions to the development of the state, stressing that the solid foundation they laid has helped the current governor to consolidate and fasttrack development of the state.
“Today, we are unveiling in the open what we have been saying to ourselves under the closed doors that Ekiti has never had it so good. We are very lucky having Governor Biodun Oyebanji as our governor. What we are doing today is not a campaign, time for campaign is coming. All we are doing is to hold our regular APC senatorial meeting, this is symbolic and strategic to us.
“The frontline and greatest achievement of Governor Oyebanji is being able to unite everybody under one platform and umbrella. You may not understand what I meant by Governor Oyebanji’s unity magic.
“But if you follow the trajectory of our politics in Ekiti State, particularly what happened in 2003 between Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Ayodele Fayose, and what we witnessed between Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi in 2007, then you will understand Oyebanji’s unity magic. All these leaders are now working together and all the achievements that Ekiti made under these past leaders are being consolidated under Governor Oyebanji.
“Beyond uniting Ekiti and bringing down governance from the Olympian height of the past to the grassroots, you will understand that he has given government, governance and our party back to ordinary people. Oyebanji is working and Ekiti is progressing. We have never had it so good.
“I thank the governor for uniting all of us and for taking Ekiti to the next level. We need continuity in Ekiti. If you go to Lagos before 1999 and you go there today, continuity has brought a new lease of life to that state, so the governor should continue with his good work till 2030”.
Bamidele appreciated the governor for his midas touches and enigmatic strides in the areas of infrastructures, agriculture, youth empowerment and other pivotal actions taken to radicalise the economy, saying these have reverberated beyond the shores of the state.
In his submission, Senator Ojudu added that Oyebanji has done creditably well in unifying the party leaders and upscale development, especially focusing on human empowerment through Adire Ekiti Hub that has become the masterstroke policy turning around the lives of the citizens.
“This is the first time since 2003 when everybody will sleep with two eyes closed without fear of being killed in Ekiti. The governor is a unifier. No case of politically motivated killing under him. He has befriended his enemies and now having none. He is so humble and he must be elected for a second term and we will make sure he wins resoundingly”.
In his response, Governor Oyebanji, appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC members for supporting him solidly to be able to take Ekiti to a mileage, in terms of development strides and for providing the platform to serve the people.
Oyebanji, who is also from the district, promised to continue to serve dedicatedly and with every fibre in his body to mitigate the poverty index and address the infrastructure deficit in the state, while appealing to party members to embark on aggressive mobilisation and be fair to all members.
“I am moved, very touched by this endorsement and I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. When you gave me the ticket, I told you that I will always hear your voices. In the last two years , I have served you with humility and commitment.
“Myself and the Deputy Governor accept this with all humility. But this doesn’t preclude anyone who has governorship ambition on the platform of APC from showing interest. APC is a party that respects the right of every member to contest for any position of his choice. We are not afraid of competition.
“This is history being made today in Ekiti. When INEC lifts ban on political campaigns, you will know that you have a good and acceptable governor”.
Other high profile dignitaries at the event are: The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, former Deputy Governor Modupe Adelabu, the House of Representatives member representing Ekiti Central Constituency 1, Hon Sola Fatoba, his colleague in constituency 2, Hon Biodun Omoleye, ex-House of Representatives member, Hon. Wumi Ogunlola, former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Wale Fapohunda(SAN), serving and former council chairmen and councillors, party leaders, politicians, among others.
It is recalled that a similar endorsement was made by the leaders of APC from the South senatorial district late last year