-By Dr Soji Ehinlanwo (DSE)
Ekiti is on the verge of an important Primary election of the APC which is due to take place on the 27th of October, 2025. Let us be clear – this is just not an internal party election to determine the flag bearer of the APC in the impending election, it is also a primary to make a clear statement that not only do Ekiti people – known to be highly politically sophisticated – value exemplary public service, they are also willing to show to the rest of us who are non Ekitis that they want to continue to push the narrative that Ekiti state and its APC are suitable references for excellent governance. That is the important signal that the endorsement of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji at the impending primary will provide
Given the excellent and exemplary performance of Governor Biodun Oyebanji across all the major segments of development, particularly in respect of his six point agenda, there is an important moral burden upon all APC members , not only to ensure victory for him at the Primary but also to ensure that the victory to be attained must be overwhelming. It is the least to deliver to a man who has served his people very diligently, in commendable humility and with such remarkable success
When over three years ago, I took it upon myself to vigorously campaign for BAO, I had no doubt that he was a man of impeccable character and destined for great accomplishments. However, the scale of his achievements have even surpassed my own expectations – winning awards such as the Vanguard Newspaper Personality of the Year (Good Governance) – 2024, Energy Times Governor of the Year, New Telegraph Newspaper’s Governor of the Year (Good Governance and Grassroots Development) 2024 award and Silverbird Man of the Year award by Silverbird Productions – to mention but a few. Ekiti APC- indeed the whole of Ekiti state – must not allow themselves to be distracted by those who seek to ignore the many glaring and fabulous manifestations of development engineered by this remarkable public servant and his team, seeking instead a selfish promotion of their own narrow political agenda
It is worthwhile mentioning some of the areas in which this Governor has delivered tremendous successes. From the inception of his Adminstration, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji showed himself as a Governor with a big dose of empathy – priorising the welfare of the elderly, pensioners and public servants. The significant funds which has been deployed in clearing pension arrears and ensuring the state civil servants get a fair deal including implementing the 70k minimum wage are clear testimonies of his deep commitment to the welfare of his people. Based on verified reports, the state has spent over 118 billion naira in the payment of gratuities, pensions, leave bonuses and other regular replenishment of various loan schemes to state and local government retirees in the state since the inception of the administration. In Education, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has provided significant support for the state tertiary education , manifested amongst others in significant increases in subventions and the clearing of subvention arrears owed by his predecessors. Across the state, in Primary and Secondary education, he has built significant numbers of new schools and transformed existing ones – providing modern learning facilities. For example, he invested over 14 billion naira in transforming over 203 public secondary schools. In Agriculture, he has set in motion a silent revolution in Agricultural growth – supporting farmers through several subsidised initiatives including seedlings, land tractorisation etc. He has also built a centralised storage and distribution hub – with very significant capacity for storage and distribution – leveraging Ekiti as a model for Agriculture driven economic growth. In infrastructure, he has extended rural and urban development via the construction of 350 kilometres of roads across the state – translating to an investment of over 200 billion. He has also made remarkable impact in effective reconnection of urban and rural communities, that were hitherto disconnected from the national grid, backed by investing billions of naira in the sector. In Health care delivery, he has embarked on renovation and equipment of over 177 health facilities amongst many other initiatives. In Youth empowerment, he has put in place several youth empowerment initiatives such as the Ekiti Youth Development Fund, Skills acquisition programmes, Youth Enterpreneurship and job creation programmes such as the Ekiti digital accelerator initiative and bring back the Youths to Agriculture initiative and with these, this dynamic Governor has brought a new lease of hope and opportunities for Ekiti Youths
In all, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has delivered excellently for his people. The APC as a party owes it to the larger Ekiti population and promoters of good governance inside and outside the state to deliver an overwhelming endorsement for Omoluabi Biodun Oyebanji. It is, at once a moral and historic obligation. I have no doubt that this obligation will be delivered in a resounding manner on October 27th
Dr. Soji Ehinlanwo (DSE) is an APC Chieftain, an Information technology Consultant and a Public Affairs Analyst currently based in the UK
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