A fresh political contest is brewing in Ekiti South Senatorial District as former lawmaker Biodun Olujimi has officially picked up the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination form, signaling a major shift in the district’s political landscape.

Olujimi, who represented Ekiti South in the 9th Senate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defected to the APC in 2025.

Her decision to now seek the party’s senatorial ticket sets the stage for a high-stakes intra-party battle ahead of the next general election.

The race within the APC is shaping up to be fiercely competitive, as Olujimi will contend with incumbent senator and Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu, who is seeking to retain his seat.

Also in the contest is former member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Faparusi, who has likewise obtained the party’s nomination form.

Political observers say Olujimi’s entry into the race could significantly alter the dynamics within the APC in Ekiti South, given her political experience, grassroots network, and previous electoral success in the district.

Her defection from the PDP to the ruling APC had earlier generated discussions across the state, and her latest move is expected to intensify permutations within the party.

The contest is likely to test the internal cohesion of the APC in Ekiti State, as party leaders weigh the strengths of the aspirants ahead of the primaries.

Analysts also note that the emergence of a strong candidate could play a crucial role in determining the party’s chances of retaining the senatorial seat in the next election cycle.

With three prominent political figures now in the race, the APC primary in Ekiti South is expected to be closely watched, as it may redefine alliances and influence the broader political direction of the district.

A High Court sitting in Okitipupa, Ondo State, has issued a stern warning to parties involved in the ongoing chieftaincy dispute in Ode-Irele, directing them to comply with its earlier judgment or risk imprisonment.

The court specifically ordered Adeniyi Olanrewaju Ayeromora and other defendants to adhere to its ruling delivered on August 2, 2022. The judgment had restrained them from parading themselves as regent or initiating any new selection process for the Olofun of Irele stool.

In a notice outlining the consequences of disobedience, the court cautioned that failure to comply could result in contempt proceedings and possible committal to prison.

The directive was also extended to key government officials, including the Attorney General of Ondo State and relevant local government authorities. The court warned them against recognizing or supporting any actions that contradict its ruling.

Meanwhile, the court has issued a separate Form 49 notice summoning several defendants to appear and show cause why they should not be jailed for allegedly continuing to violate the subsisting court order.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide necessary publicity for all the programmes and policies of President Bola Tinubu that have improved the living conditions of the people, especially his economic reforms, infrastructure development and efforts being made to stabilize the country.

Governor Oyebanji said hyping the achievements of the President at every opportunity by leaders of the party will provide the needed enlightenment for the people, especially at the grassroots. This, he said, will make the people value the government’s programmes and policies and further endear the President to Nigerians.

The Governor, who spoke when he received the APC Zonal executives led by the Zonal Chairman/National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Dr Isaac Kekemeke in his office on Tuesday, said it is apparent Nigerians attach more seriousness to whatever they hear from their leaders than from other sources.

He stressed the need to activate the party’s structure at all levels to serve as information desk for members and the populace informing them of various laudable programmes and projects of the administration.

The Governor, who described the six months he spent in office before the inauguration of President Tinubu in 2023 as “very tough period”, said the President’s decision to immediately free resources to the sub-national as a way of improving and rescuing the economy from collapse, turned the situation around, making him to achieve more for the state I terms of infrastructure development.

“The story is the same across the states. President Tinubu’s programmes and policies have impacted positively on the people and while the opposition element would do everything to rubbish the gains of the reforms, leaders should counter them with verifiable facts”.

Citing Ekiti State as an example, the Governor said out of the six federal roads in Ekiti State, two have been fixed, work had commenced on one and two have been been awarded. He also revealed that the state has been linked to the new rail line project of the federal government.

He also said that his administration had not collected any loan to finance infrastructure projects in the last three and a half years, explaining that he has been able to properly utilize receipts from the federal allocation and state’s IGR to finance all projects. This, according to him , was made possible by President Tinubu, hence the need to support him for a second term in office.

“So, if a state as small as Ekiti has this kind of federal government presence, then you can imagine what will happen to other big states in the country. Please, we have every cause to be proud of the achievements of our party and the only way we can get this done is through you, because you are the closest to the people at the grassroots level. What are we talking about is that at every ward meeting, two or three minutes should be devoted to explaining to party members what the government has done.

“Our party is on a rescue mission, generally, through the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we are all ambassadors of the President in our respective zones and states and I will use this opportunity to appeal to our party leaders from this zone to make explaining the achievements of the President’s administrations to everybody paramount. And because you are credible leaders, people will listen to you more than those in government.

Earlier, the National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Dr Isaac Kekemeke who commended Governor Oyebanji for the successful outing at the official flag off of his re-election campaign, described him as an emerging party and national leader based on his pedigree of humility and astute leadership quality and by positioning himself as a unifying force.

He said they were in the state for their first executive meeting after their inauguration last month.

While reiterating their unalloyed support for all APC governors in the South-west, Dr Kekemeke, stressed that the zonal leadership intends to strengthen the party’s structure in the region.