…Residents hail Governor for restoring power after 10 years blackout

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has said the forthcoming governorship election offers the people of the state an opportunity to use their votes to cement continuity of good governance and defeat politics of retrogression.

Governor Oyebanji also urged the electorate to cast their votes massively for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election in appreciation of his immense support for the government and people of Ekiti State.

The Governor who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State said no Nigerian leader has done as much as President Tinubu had done for Ekiti State, hence the state must contribute a high tally of votes that would contribute to his re-election.

Oyebanji who spoke on Thursday while addressing rallies in Ekiti East and Ayekire Local Government Areas in continuation of his campaign tour round the state, said frequent changes of ruling parties at election cycles negatively affected the growth and development of the state.

Oyebanji also restated his call for peaceful and violence-free election. He enjoined APC members not to be provoked into violence before, during and after the election for the victory to be sweet and remarkable.

The rallies which were turned into carnivals by party members and residents saw the Governor receiving a rousing welcome in Omuo Ekiti and Ode Ekiti, the headquarters of the two council areas in appreciation of the projects implemented and restoring electricity to the axis after a blackout of over ten years.

The Governor told the crowd that his administration has succeeded in fulfilling promises made to the people of the two council areas including putting an end to more than ten years of blackout expressing readiness to work harder to consolidate on the gains achieved if he wins re-election at the polls.

He spoke just as residents of the community through their spokesperson thanked the Governor for restoring power supply in several communities in the area, after over ten years of blackout. They said the restoration of power supply has boosted local economy of the communities.

A massive crowd of party supporters, community leaders, teachers, local government workers, artisans, market women and non-indigenes welcomed the Governor during the rallies and pledged their support for his re-election on June 20.

Speaking in Omuo Ekiti, Oyebanji identified lack of continuity in good governance occasioned by the single term syndrome, said the forthcoming election offers the people of Ekiti an opportunity to elect a governor back-to-back and put a stop to retrogression caused by instability in governance.

He said: “In less than a year, Ekiti State will clock 30 years since it was created and no government has won election back-to-back. If one government comes, it will introduce some policies within four years and when another government comes, rather than building on what is on ground, it will introduce something new and the state will have to start all over again.

“The problem of Ekiti State development has been lack of continuity in good governance, so June 20 offers us a platform to change that narrative once and for all. On June 20, Ekiti will rise up as a mass army to say enough is enough.

“Through our votes for APC, we must say no to politics of retrogression, to politics of underdevelopment, to politics that does not advance the cause of women, to politics that will take ten steps forward and 50 steps backward, all those will stop on June 20.”

The Governor further emphasised the need for a high voter turnout at the Ekiti poll in favour of the APC which he believes would rub off positively on the fortunes of the party in neighbouring Osun State where another governorship election holds in August.

According to him, an impressive showing for the party in both Ekiti and Osun States would set the stage for an overwhelming victory for Tinubu at the January presidential poll saying “the governorship poll results in the two states should prepare the groumd for the re-election of the President.

Two prominent party leaders in Ekiti East, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Rt. Hon. Femi Bamisile canvassed support for re-election of Oyebanji on the strength of the impact of his administration in the axis.

Olujimi, the immediate past Senator for Ekiti South Senatorial District urged voters in the axis to repay the good done by the Governor on election day and be faithful to the covenant to re-elect him back to office.

Bamisile, the incumbent member of House of Representatives for Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2, said the Governor has become an adopted son of Ekiti East who must be re-elected because he has done well for the people.

A youth leader, Mayowa Ogundana, commended the Governor for creating jobs through the Bring Back the Youths into Agriculture with many beneficiaries in the area and also reconnecting communities back to the national grid after over ten years of being in darkness.

Oyebanji also met with traditional rulers in the two local government areas and used the forum to solicit their support for his aspiration and administration.

The Governor was joined during the campaign by his Deputy, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adeoye Aribasoye; Deputy Director of the Campaign Council / Senator representing Ekiti South , Senator Yemi Adaramodu among others.

The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has dismissed reports claiming that its Chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, has been removed from office.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Forum described the reports as false, misleading and without any basis.

The Director General of the PGF, Folorunso Aluko, said no meeting was held where such a decision was taken, stressing that the Secretariat has no record of any resolution to remove Uzodimma.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the report is entirely false, baseless, and without an iota of truth,” the statement said.

Aluko affirmed that Uzodimma remains the Chairman of the Forum, adding that the body remains united and focused on its responsibilities.

He urged members of the public, party faithful and the media to disregard the report in its entirety.

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu has approved his redeployment as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.

Fani-Kayode made the disclosure in a statement released on Thursday, explaining that the reassignment followed his personal request to be moved from an earlier diplomatic posting to Germany.

According to him, he had initially been nominated for a diplomatic role in Germany but later communicated his concerns about the posting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He subsequently requested to be redeployed to South Africa instead.

The former minister said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, approved the request and forwarded it to President Tinubu, who later granted final approval for the redeployment.

“It gives me pleasure to announce that Mr President has graciously approved my posting as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa,” Fani-Kayode stated.

Explaining the reason behind his preference, he said he wanted to serve in a country he had never visited before, despite having spent a significant part of his life in Europe.

He also noted that South Africa’s economic strength, political outlook, and relationship with Nigeria influenced his decision.

According to him, he preferred a country that shares some of his convictions and values in global affairs, while also aligning with his pan-African foreign policy perspective.

Fani-Kayode further revealed that the redeployment became possible through a mutual exchange arrangement involving Sam Enang, who had originally been posted to South Africa but later opted for Germany.

The former minister also dismissed reports alleging that the German government rejected his appointment.

He described the claims as false, malicious, and an attempt to damage his reputation as well as embarrass the Federal Government.

According to him, no official communication rejecting his appointment was ever issued by German authorities.

Fani-Kayode disclosed that legal action has already been initiated against the media platform responsible for publishing the report, while the matter has also been reported to relevant security agencies.

He urged journalists and media organisations to verify information before publication to avoid spreading misinformation.

The former minister also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for approving his redeployment, adding that he is prepared to represent Nigeria in South Africa.