By Tunji Saliu
In the build-up to the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, a new wave of deliberate misinformation has flooded social media, aimed at discrediting Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji and distracting from the visible progress of his administration. The latest is a fake poster circulating on Facebook claiming that the Governor plans to give prospective voters ₦25,000 each on election day which is a blatant fabrication designed to paint the administration with the brush of vote buying.
This is not an isolated incident. Faceless, politically sponsored Facebook accounts have launched a coordinated campaign of lies against the Governor and his family. Yet these falsehoods collapsed under the weight of verifiable achievements that Ekiti people see and feel every day. Across the state, citizens have been resolute, no amount of digital propaganda will erase the good healthcare, the education, the roads, the jobs, the investments, and the social interventions delivered in less than four years.
While detractors manufacture posters, the Oyebanji administration and the Office of the First Lady, Dr. Olayemi Abiodun-Oyebanji, have been empowering Ekiti people with real, life-changing tools.
Under her pet project, Widows and Orphans Hope (WAOH) Project, the First Lady recently empowered 1,300 women across the 16 local government areas with economic driving items. The items distributed were not promises or pixels on a poster, but tangible equipment that restarts, boosts businesses, and restores dignity:
Items distributed include: Sewing machines, power generating sets, deep freezers, hair dryers, grinding machines, knapsack sprayers, and other trade-specific tools.
Beneficiaries, who were market women, traders, widows, artisans, and young entrepreneurs openly expressed gratitude, describing the intervention as a lifeline that puts food on their tables and keeps their children in school. The distribution was public, documented, and witnessed by community leaders and the press.
In a separate but complementary intervention, 2,000 women in Ekiti State received ₦50,000 each under the Renewed Hope Initiative of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON. This is a federal social investment programme implemented transparently across states, not a last-minute election gimmick.
Reasons the lies would not fly:
- Track Record Beats Propaganda: From agriculture to infrastructure, health to education, the Oyebanji administration has posted measurable gains. Ekiti people compare their daily realities with online rumours, and the choice is clear.
- Empowerment is Documented: Unlike the faceless “₦25,000 on election day” poster, WAOH and Renewed Hope Initiative beneficiaries are real people with names, faces, and locations. Their testimonies are on record.
- Ekiti Has Decided: The consensus across towns and communities is that performance, not propaganda, will determine June 20. The Governor’s “Shared Prosperity” agenda has reached artisans, farmers, teachers, and traders and other groups who now serve as its most credible defenders.
Democracy thrives on debate, not deceit. Sponsoring falsehoods to achieve political ends insults the intelligence of Ekiti people and distracts from the real issues of development.
The administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji remains focused on delivery. The Office of the First Lady remains committed to expanding economic opportunities for women and vulnerable groups. No viral lie can distribute sewing machines. No fake poster can power a grinding machine.
As June 20 approaches, Ekiti will choose substance over slander, and results over rumours.
