- ‘President supportive of our state’
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has warned certain unpatriotic elements against peddling falsehoods against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the the condition of federal instrastructure in the fountain of knowledge.
He berated the misguided elements, saying that efforts to incite the people against the Federal Government has failed.
Oyebanji said President Tinubu is doing everything humanly possible to fight infrastructure battle in Ekiti, urging indigenes and residents to exercise patience.
The governor dispelled the allegation of federal neglect during the yearly ‘Udiroko Festival’ in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital by the Ewi, Oba Rufus Adejugbe Aladesanmi 111.
He lamented the contradition in the Ekiti chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), wondering why such insinuations can be peddled by subjective chieftains.
Oyebanji drew attention to the presidential directives on the major federal roads linking Ado-Ekiti with the neighbouring states, adding that the projects are on-going.
He said Ekiti should be grateful to the president who love the state and ordered the execution of the projects.
Oyebanji said:”Let me use this opportunity to tell Ekiti people that the President of this country is supportive of Ekiti State. The president of Nigeria is doing everything humanly possible to assist Ekiti State, and I stand here to give a testimony to that effect.
“The president has supported us. But it is not possible for him in two years to solve all the probles. He is trying his best. As I am speaking, the construction of the Ado-Ikere-Iju-Ita Ogbolu-Akure road is being done by the president. The Ijan-Afe Babalola, Ado road is ongoing.
“There is a little glitch,but we are resolving it, and the contractor would soon move to the site. It is unfair for any any Ekiti person to use the condition of Aramoko-Ita-Awure road to measure the performance of this government. Ekiti people are not ingrate.
“We reject the narrative and we say the president is supporting us and Ekiti people are in support of the president. I need to state it clearly: ‘aa i fi ibi sun olore (we don’t need to repay our benefactor with wikedness). We also know that: ‘adiye nlaagun, iye ni o je ka mo (The president is trying, but there are many constraints).”
Oyebanji rejected moves by some chieftains to create confusion by sacrificing the truth on the altar of politics.
He stressed:”President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing his best. We reject any narrative that now want to pigeon hole the president as not loving Ekiti people, especially when it is coming from people, tendencies that want to be governor of this state and are from the same party with the president.
“We reject it. It is not correct. It is not everytime we must play politics with everything.”
‘Opposition planning social media attacks on BAO’
Ahead of the October governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ekiti State government also alerted the public to “coordinated social media attack on the governor.”
The media adviser, Yinka Oyebode, said in a statement that the plot is being hatched by some opposition elements.
The statement reads: “It was gathered that over 150 persons across various social media platforms, including notable influencers at the national level, have been paid to carry out the attack beginning from next week.
“The sponsors of this grand plot, sadly, are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who are bent on heating up the polity in a bid to make a cheap political point. Part of their grand design, as uncovered, is to discredit the Governor, as well as some key figures within the party and the Government, through spurious and malicious allegations, including forged documents and AI generated graphics.
“Those behind this planned social media onslaught are the same people who clandestinely launched a social media attack against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last week, using one of the federal roads in the state- the Itawure-Aramoko-Igede road as an alibi.
“Whereas the poorly coordinated social media attack on the President failed woefully because the vast majority of Ekiti people, and indeed the general public, rejected the narratives. These characters went back to the drawing board and came up with another action plan, which include inducing 150 social media attackers with huge sum of money (in foreign currency) to carry out the nefarious act of character assassination and cheap blackmail through online trending of forged documents.
“The Government has chosen to alert the public on this grand plot in order to avert likely breach of the peace, recourse to self-help and unnecessary tension in the polity which are the main intention of the masterminds of this ignoble plot.
“Unlike previous sponsored media attacks on the Governor and the State Government that were treated with kids glove, this new plot would be treated with the seriousness it deserves. Hence, the general public, security agencies and all relevant institutions are hereby put on notice.
“All political gladiators, especially those aspiring to public offices are advised to maintain some decorum and play according to set rules and regulations as we approach the electoral season.
“The Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji administration welcomes constructive criticism and is ready to provide sincere answers to genuine enquiries about governance and the management of our commonwealth. All Aspirants are also urged to make their campaigns and public engagements issue-based, and stay clear of any sponsored social media attack on the person of the Governor as well as sponsored violent attacks on any citizen of the State.
“As Secretary to the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State, Governor Oyebanji understands the desires and aspirations of the founding fathers for a united people working in one accord to ensure peace, progress and development in Ekiti. This has been the guiding principles of his administration.”
Primary: it may be a two-horse race
Two governorship aspirants may compete for the APC governorship ticket for next year’s poll, it was learnt yesterday.
The primary is expected to hold in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, in October.
The state chapter, led by Sola Elesin, a lawyer, has to decide whether the shadow poll should be direct, indirect or consensus, subject to ratification by the APC national leadership.
The Ekiti poll is crucial, being the first exercise ahead of the 2027 general election.
The leading aspirant is Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who has been endorsed by the generality of stakeholders across the local governments, constituencies, senatorial districts and state.
Four former governors – Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose, Segun Oni, an engineer, and Dr. Kayode Fayemi- had tipped him for re-election.
Although the belief is that Oyebanji has no rival, some people are on the social media urging an engineer, Kayode Ojo, to run.
Ojo, a rich businessman from Ikoro, is not new to the race, having competed with former Governor Fayemi and Oyebanji, who he took to court after the 2022 poll. Despite pleas by APC leaders, he followed the suit up to the Supreme Court.
Currently, he is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
