The All Progressives Congress threw its full weight behind Governor Biodun Oyebanji on Monday, with National Chairman Prof Nentawe Yilwatda telling a packed Ekiti Parapo Pavilion that the June 20 poll is “already won” and dismissing rival parties as “so-so yeye.”
Yilwatda said the national leadership is “proud” of Oyebanji’s three-and-a-half-year record and promised “unflinching support” for a second term to lock in “continuity of good governance.”
Then he turned the flag-off into a victory lap, calling Oyebanji to “take a bow” for uniting Ekiti’s Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Ebira, Urhobo and other groups; for roads, bridges, hospitals, health centres and schools; for boosting agriculture so families can “pound yam and eat pounded yam”; and for making Ekiti “one of the most secure states in Nigeria.”
“On behalf of the National Working Committee and APC members nationwide, we stand with you today to say that this election is already won because all other parties na so-so yeye, all other candidates na so-so yeye,” Yilwatda said to roars.
“Prepare pounded yam for your swearing-in because the election is already won. Ekiti people on election day, wear your canvass, wear your jeans, go out and vote for BAO.”
The Progressive Governors’ Forum echoed him. Chairman and Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma said a once-fragmented Ekiti is now “solidly united” under Oyebanji and tied the governor’s fate to the President: “If you vote for Governor Oyebanji, you have voted for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is addressing the crises of food insecurity, infrastructure deficit, unemployment, insecurity and others. Vote for him, he won’t let you down.”
Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, chair of the APC National Campaign Council for Ekiti, called Oyebanji “one of the best governors in the country,” citing 350km of roads across 16 LGAs and the remodelling of primary healthcare centres and public schools. “This is the time to move forward, not to move backward. Vote for continuity, vote for prosperity, vote for stability and development,” Sani said. “We will engage every community, every individual, listen to them and mobilise for victory.”
In a rare show of cross-faction unity, former governors Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose, Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi all lined up behind Oyebanji, urging massive votes for him and Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye “for the good works to continue.”
Oyebanji told the crowd he had “fulfilled the social contract” signed in 2022 and credited Tinubu for “special interest” in Ekiti. “In the 29 years of Ekiti creation, no President has been fair to Ekiti like President Tinubu,” he said, listing the reconstructed Ado-Akure and Ado-Ifaki roads and the awarded Ado-Aramoko road. He set a target: “Come out on June 20 and test the microphone by giving us here in Ekiti a minimum of 500,000 votes, so that the good jobs we are doing can continue.”
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, chair of the 2026 Ekiti Campaign Council, branded Oyebanji “a round peg in a round hole” and a “unifier” who “understands the language of development,” promising an issue-based campaign, not hate speech.
The pavilion was a roll call of APC heavyweights: First Lady Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, APC South-West Vice Chair Isaac Kekemeke, DG of the campaign Senator Cyril Fasuyi, Senators Yemi Adaramodu, Ayo Arise, Dayo Adeyeye, Rep Femi Bamisile, Hon Oyetunde Ojo, plus National and State Assembly members.
With the party’s national chair, governors, and all four living former governors declaring the race over before it starts, APC is betting Ekiti 2026 will be a coronation, not a contest.
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
