Oyebanji, Bamidele declare “no breathing space” for opposition ahead of June 20 poll
The Allied People’s Movement, APM, governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Chief Joseph Anifowose, stepped down for Governor Biodun Oyebanji on Tuesday and pledged his party’s support for the APC candidate ahead of the June 20 election.
Anifowose announced the decision at an APC rally in Igede-Ekiti, saying he wanted to sustain the pace of growth and development under the Oyebanji administration.
He told party leaders and residents that the visible transformation in infrastructure, social services, and governance convinced him that continuity was essential.
“If you look at Governor Oyebanji in the last three and a half years, he has mobilized all former governors for the development of the state,” Anifowose said. “He is a divine arrangement, a God-sent leader who has shown capacity, competence, and commitment to making Ekiti great.”
He added that the APM held state executive and working committee meetings where local government executives were directed to mobilize members to vote for Oyebanji.
Earlier in Ilawe-Ekiti, Oyebanji, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu said the APC would leave no room for the opposition in the battle for votes.
The trio said the party is targeting a landslide in the June 20 governorship election and the January 2027 presidential poll to secure a second term for President Bola Tinubu, whose interventions, they said, have benefited Ekiti over the last three years.
Addressing crowds in both towns, Oyebanji pointed to major projects by the state and federal governments as evidence of APC’s commitment to the state.
He listed the Ikere-Ilawe, Ikere-Igbara Odo, Igbara Odo-Ikogosi, and Ilawe-Erijiyan roads, the Ilawe General Hospital, and the ongoing reconstruction of the Itawure-Aramoko-Igede-Ado highway. He also noted that one lane of the Ikere-Iju-Ita Ogbolu-Akure highway had been completed by the federal government.
“The federal government under President Tinubu is already fixing the notorious Itawure-Aramoko-Igede-Ado highway,” he said.
Oyebanji urged voters to keep APC in power at both state and federal levels, citing federal appointments for Ekiti indigenes and two nearly completed transmission stations in Ilupeju and Ijesa Isu that will boost power supply.
He also criticized opposition parties for being absent on the campaign trail, saying they only exist on social media while APC is engaging voters directly.
“We are targeting at least 500,000 votes and a 177-0 result at ward level,” he said. “No other party is campaigning. That’s where they’ll hear their results. God has given us victory already.”
Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South and serves as deputy DG of the campaign council, said the sole agenda was delivering victory for Oyebanji and Tinubu. He added that Ekiti South West, with about 56,000 registered voters, must deliver at least 50,000 votes for APC.
Bamidele warned against “wasted votes” for candidates without structure, saying only APC could convert votes into tangible benefits from the presidency down to the councillorship.
He urged voters to be pragmatic and noted that the administration had raised the standard of governance in ways that would improve living standards long-term.
“There will be no breathing space for marginal parties playing spoiler roles,” Bamidele said. “Vote for the party you can benefit from. Before the January general elections, we must first secure victory on June 20.”
Ekiti APC Chairman Barr. Sola Elesin described Oyebanji as a governor who has lived up to expectations and should be returned for a second term.
Leaders of various interest groups in the areas also pledged their support, citing projects and empowerment programmes delivered under Oyebanji’s administration.
