Oni: Ekiti to make history with Oyebanji’s re-election
Former Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni has said the people are set to make history with the re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the June 20 governorship poll. Oni, who
Former Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni has said the people are set to make history with the re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the June 20 governorship poll.
Oni, who spoke at the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Ido/Osi Local Government yesterday, said Oyebanji will emerge as the first Ekiti governor to be re-elected back-to-back, judging by the massive support he enjoys from the voters and people at the grassroots.
The ex-governor, who together with his wife, Olukemi, joined Governor Oyebanji on the campaign tour of Ilejemeje, Mob and Ido.Osi local governments, said it was symbolic for all former governors in the state to support an incumbent governor seeking re-election, adding that the support for Oyebanji should be total for the targeted 500,000 votes to be met.
Governor Oyebanji hoped the achievements recorded by his administration in three and a half years would pave the way for him and his party to secure a second term.
He said he and his party were working to get an unprecedented poll tally of 500,000 votes in the June 20 governorship el ection as a dress rehearsal for a massive presidential election result in favour of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the state.
Besides securing minimum 500,000 votes, Oyebanji said he and his party were also targeting a clean sweep of available votes in the 177 wards, a feat that had not been achieved in the past governorship elections.
At Iye Ekiti, Otun-Ekiti and Ido Ekiti in Ilejemeje, Moba and Ido/Osi local governments, Governor Oyebanji says the electorate in Ekiti State have an opportunity to reward a performing governor with a back-to-back victory for the first time for the good work in all the key sectors to continue for the benefit of the people.
He urged his supporters and members of his party to be peaceful, orderly and not to be provoked into any fight or violence on election day, to make the victory sweeter and positively memorable.
Oyebanji took a swipe at individuals he referred to as “detractors on social media who don’t know their wards”, promising to teach them some lessons with massive victory at the governorship election and silence them permanently.
He said: “On June 20, we have an opportunity once and for all to do what has not been done in our state before. Since the creation of this state 29 years ago, no governor has done it back-to-back, but we are going to do it with your support and based on what we have done so far.
“In the last three years and seven months, we have served you diligently and there are many good things to show for our stewardship. Since we came in, civil servants have not gone on strike, teachers have not gone on strike, doctors have not gone on strike, local government workers have not gone on strike.”
He told the enthusiastic crowd that his administration has touched all communities through life-changing policies, projects and empowerment programmes.
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The governor urged the people to turn out en masse and vote APC to victory in Ekiti and Osun states “to make a statement that President Tinubu is popular and loved in his home base ahead of the presidential poll scheduled for January.
At the rally in Ido Ekiti, key Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members led by the Chairman in Usi Ward, Mr Dada Kolawole, defected to the APC and were admitted into the fold.
Governor Oyebanji, who said former Governor Segun Oni’s campaign for him at ido/Osi had a great significance for his re-election bid, added that with the support of the former governor, he is sure of 100 per cent votes from the local government.
The governor was accompanied by his deputy, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye; former governor, Chief Segun Oni; the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye; Director General of the Biodun Oyebanji Campaign Council, Senator Cyril Fasuyi; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Habibat Adubiaro; Deputy Director General (Ekiti North), Chief Kemisola Olaleye; Secretary of the Campaign Council/Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Oyeniyi Adebayo, among others.
