…Residents Applaud Governor for Restoring Power After 10-Year Blackout
EKITI EAST/AYEKIRE — Ekiti State Governor and APC candidate, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has called on voters to back him for a second term, saying the June 20 governorship election is a chance to consolidate good governance and end the cycle of political instability that has slowed the state’s progress.
Addressing rallies in Ekiti East and Ayekire Local Government Areas on Thursday, Oyebanji said frequent changes in government have led to abandoned projects and policy reversals that hinder development. “The problem of Ekiti’s development has been the lack of continuity,” he said. “For 30 years since the state was created, no administration has won re-election back-to-back. One government introduces policies, the next abandons them, and we start all over again. June 20 gives us the opportunity to change that narrative.”
The Governor urged residents to also deliver a strong vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election, noting that no Nigerian leader has supported Ekiti State as much as Tinubu. “An impressive showing for APC in Ekiti and Osun will lay the groundwork for the President’s re-election,” he said, referencing Osun’s governorship poll scheduled for August.
Oyebanji emphasized the need for a peaceful, violence-free election and cautioned APC supporters against retaliation or provocation. “Let our victory be sweet and remarkable,” he said.
The rallies turned into celebrations in Omuo Ekiti and Ode Ekiti, where residents welcomed the Governor with cheers in appreciation of his administration’s projects, particularly the restoration of electricity to communities that had been in darkness for over a decade.
“Our administration has fulfilled its promise to end the more than 10-year blackout in this axis,” Oyebanji told the crowd. “If re-elected, we will work harder to consolidate on these gains.”
Community leaders confirmed the impact of the power restoration, saying it has revived local businesses and improved daily life. A youth leader, Mayowa Ogundana, also commended the Governor for creating jobs through the Bring Back the Youths into Agriculture initiative and for reconnecting communities to the national grid.
At both rallies, a diverse crowd of party supporters, teachers, market women, artisans, and non-indigenes pledged their support for Oyebanji’s re-election.
Two prominent APC leaders in Ekiti East, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Rep. Femi Bamisile, also rallied support for the Governor. Olujimi urged voters to “honour the covenant” to return Oyebanji to office, while Bamisile described him as “an adopted son of Ekiti East who has delivered results.”
Oyebanji further met with traditional rulers in the two councils to seek their blessings and support.
The Governor was accompanied by his Deputy, Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye; Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye; and Deputy Director of the Campaign Council and Senator representing Ekiti South, Senator Yemi Adaramodu.
