Shekinat Abubakar
The re-election campaign of President Bola Tinubu has received a boost in Ekiti State as governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in the June 20 election declared support for his second-term bid.
The opposition politicians announced their support at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti, where Governor Biodun Oyebanji also assured the party leadership that the state would deliver at least 90 per cent of its votes for Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
The President, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, said the support of the former opposition candidates, alongside the presence of former governors and other political leaders, demonstrated the political strength of the APC in the state.
He urged Ekiti residents to improve on the 201,495 votes they gave Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, when the state recorded victories for the APC in all 16 local government areas.
The Vice President also recalled that Oyebanji won re-election in June with 85.74% of the total votes cast, expressing the hope that the APC would secure between 90 and 95% of the votes in the presidential election.
Shettima urged the people to support the President for another term, saying the Federal Government had taken difficult decisions to rescue the economy and was beginning to see the benefits of its reforms.
He said, “With a total registered vote of 1,028,000, it is our hope, prayer and aspiration that from January 16, 2027, APC will garner 90 to 95 per cent of the votes cast in Ekiti State”.
In his address, Governor Biodun Oyebanji described the rally as a demonstration of political unity in Ekiti, saying the support of former opposition candidates and former governors had strengthened the APC’s position ahead of the presidential election.
He recalled that Tinubu had, during his 2022 campaign, asked Ekiti residents to vote for both him and Oyebanji, promising to support the state if elected.
The governor said the President had fulfilled that promise through what he described as unprecedented federal support for Ekiti in the 30 years since its creation.
Oyebanji said the 85.7% votes secured by the APC in the June governorship election showed that Ekiti residents were satisfied with his administration and the President’s support for the state.
He added that the state was determined to double its previous electoral performance and deliver not less than 90 per cent of the votes for Tinubu.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the campaign, Abdulaziz Yari, also called on Ekiti residents to deliver at least 800,000 votes for the President, representing about 90% of the state’s votes.
Yari said Tinubu had supported the state through investments in education, road construction, youth development and women’s empowerment, urging residents to reciprocate the gesture with their votes.
The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, urged Nigerians to re-elect Tinubu, describing him as a performer and reformer.
He highlighted the administration’s tax reforms, particularly the exemption of small businesses with annual turnovers below N100m from tax, as well as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund scheme, which he said had expanded access to higher education.
Yilwatda also urged Ekiti residents to vote for APC candidates in the National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections, calling for the party to dominate the legislature at both levels.
Former Edo State Governor and Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, listed the administration’s interventions in education, workers’ welfare and security as reasons Nigerians should support Tinubu’s re-election.
He cited the expansion of educational institutions, student loans, additional support for workers and recruitment into the military and other security agencies.
Oshiomhole challenged opposition parties to explain what they would do differently, arguing that the Tinubu administration’s policies were beginning to address the country’s economic challenges.
The PDP governorship candidate, Oluyede, said the performance of Oyebanji had brought political stakeholders together, adding that former opposition members were prepared to support the APC presidential ticket.
Oluyede urged residents to come out in January and vote for Tinubu, saying the President had been kind and generous to the state.
Candidates of the SDP and APM in the governorship election, Isaac Alade and Chief Joseph Anifowose, respectively, also declared support for the APC presidential ticket.
Dignitaries at the rally included Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Aiyedatiwa; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Monisade Afuye; Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; and former governors of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, Kayode Fayemi and Niyi Adebayo.
