Residents of Emure Ekiti have been urged to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and remain committed to the re-election bid of Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.

The call was made by Erelu Tosin Aluko during a strategic grassroots engagement aimed at strengthening support for the governor and increasing voter participation across the community.

Speaking during the visit, Aluko said the growing support being enjoyed by Governor Oyebanji across various communities was a reflection of the administration’s impactful projects and people-oriented policies.

She highlighted the government’s interventions in key sectors, including healthcare, education, road infrastructure, youth empowerment, agriculture, and social investment programmes, noting that these initiatives have continued to improve the welfare of residents across the state.

She also charged party members and supporters to intensify door-to-door mobilization efforts, engage eligible voters, and create awareness on the importance of PVC collection ahead of the election.

According to her, the forthcoming poll offers the people of Ekiti another opportunity to consolidate on the achievements recorded under the Oyebanji administration and attract more developmental projects to their communities.

The engagement also provided an avenue for direct interaction with residents of Emure Ekiti, who expressed appreciation for the governor’s inclusive style of governance and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting his second-term aspiration.

… As Gov discloses plan to boost security with 1,000 forest rangers

Farmers in Ekiti State, under the aegis of All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) have donated a sum of five million naira to the re-election campaign of the state Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, citing the need for continuity of his positive dosposition to agriculture developement as well as developments in other critical sectors of the economy for their decision.

The farmers made the donation during an engagement with the Governor at the Conference Hall of the Governor’s office, Ado- Ekiti on Monday also assured the Governor that no fewer than fifty thousand farmers will vote to re- elect him in the June 20 election as a way of demonstrating their appreciation and backing for his administration.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, the National Vice President (Youth) and the State Chairman of AFAN, Chief Tunde Adeyemi and Mr Sunday Adekogbon respectively, cited the Governor Oyebanji’s tractorization programme, subsidized farm inputs, rural roads rehabilitation and construction as well as empowerment programme as some of the reasons for supporting his re-election.

The farmers said the Oyebanji administration from inception has been treating farmers like kings, having prioritized agribusiness development which has repositioned agriculture from subsistence level to an investment-driven venture.

“As stakeholders in the agricultural sector, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting your administration’s vision. Together, we can strengthen food security, empower young people through agriculture, create employment opportunities, attract investment, and position Ekiti State as one of Nigeria’s leading agricultural states.”

While describing the Governor as one of the most progressive subnational agricultural models in Nigeria through his deliberate policies, strategic investments, and consistent engagement with farmers, the farmers said Oyebanji has been able to turn the state into a reference point for agricultural development, food security advancement, and rural transformation.

The farmers also expressed their appreciation for Governor Oyebanji’s aggressive rural road infrastructure with particular emphasis to the construction and rehabilitation of the Aba-Ibadan-Igbara-Odo Road and the Agamo-Ipere-Iludun Road which have provided direct access to farms and significantly eased movement of farm inputs, equipment, and harvested produce to and from the farms.

Governor Oyebanji in his response, expressed deep appreciation for the farmers’ financial support for his re-election bid and assured them that his administration will not relent in its efforts to reposition the sector as a pathway to job and wealth creation.

“What is happening today is a bit shocking to me and I get emotional when things like this happen because ideally, it should be people like us that should be supporting you, but when farmers congregate together and donate money to a cause, it speaks volume and I really want to thanks and say God bless you.

“Things like this impose a lot of responsibility on me to ensure that I continue to do those things that are pleasing to God and to you.” The Governor added.

Disclosing some of his plans and policies aimed at further boosting agriculture in the state, Governor Oyebanji said his administration was at the verge of employing 1,000 forest rangers in the drive to provide adequate and effective security for farmers to enable them function in secure environment as well as put a stop to threat of banditry and cattle grazing of farms.

He added that his government is executing a 1,000km rural road upgrades targeting farming communities in the drive to connect remote agricultural areas and help reduce post-harvest losses and boost grassroots economy.

Oyebanji also commended President Bola Tinubu for providing necessary resources and infrastructure to boost food security and empower young farmers noting that the federal funding has been critical in scaling agribusiness, clearing lands, and attracting youths back to farming in Ekiti State.

“The rural roads that we are doing we’ve only done like 135 kilometres, we have awarded close to 400 kilometres, we are going to 1,000 kilometres. Before I came here we also had another approval from Islamic Development Bank for rural roads totalling over 600 kilometres, so by the time we do that we’ll have done, upgraded and put asphalt on nearly all the farms roads in the state.

“The other one we are doing that is very important to you is to secure the environment, and that is why we got the agro rangers, and very soon we are going to put on the field 1,000 forest rangers just to ensure, because you need to function in a secure environment and you realize that the rates of banditry, cattle grazing on farms has gone down a bit. He stated.

Also at the event were the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Habibat Adubiaro, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo among others.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has interrogated Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the alleged leakage of sensitive voter information from the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Olayinka was reportedly questioned on Tuesday by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) at the Police Headquarters in Abuja as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of cyber-related offences, unauthorized access to electoral records, and the disclosure of classified information.

A serving INEC official, whose identity has not been made public, has also been detained in connection with the incident and is currently being investigated by security agencies.

How the Controversy Began

The investigation was triggered after Olayinka shared screenshots on his X (formerly Twitter) account showing details of Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.

Olayinka used the information to question Ike’s eligibility to contest for a House of Representatives seat in the FCT following the actor’s criticism of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primary election process.

The post immediately sparked public concern, with many Nigerians alleging that the information could only have been obtained through unauthorized access to INEC’s password-protected voter registration portal.

INEC Denies External Breach

Responding to the controversy, INEC stated on Tuesday that its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database was not hacked and had not suffered any external security breach.

According to the commission, preliminary findings indicated that the disclosure resulted from the misuse of legitimate internal access credentials by an authorized staff member rather than a cyberattack on its systems.

INEC Official Allegedly Shared Information

Sources familiar with the investigation disclosed that the detained electoral officer allegedly initiated contact with Olayinka through Facebook Messenger.

The official reportedly sought to provide evidence that Emeka Ike’s voter transfer request had only recently been submitted and was still awaiting approval.

After the initial contact, the officer allegedly forwarded the voter registration document to Olayinka via WhatsApp.

During questioning, Olayinka reportedly told investigators that he had no prior relationship with the INEC official and was unaware that the information shared with him was classified.

Sources further revealed that Olayinka maintained that the electoral officer never informed him that the document was restricted or confidential.

DSS Also Investigating

In addition to the police investigation, the Department of State Services (DSS) has launched a parallel probe into the circumstances surrounding the release of the voter information.

Security agencies are examining whether any laws relating to data protection, cybercrime, or the handling of classified government documents were violated.

Possible Charges

Investigators are said to be considering a range of charges against both Olayinka and the detained INEC official, including:

Criminal conspiracy

Cyber-related offences

Unauthorized disclosure of classified documents

Misuse of official credentials

Actions capable of causing a breach of public peace

The investigations by both the police and the DSS are ongoing, while INEC continues its internal review of the incident and the circumstances that led to the release of the voter data.