2026 poll: Ekiti election done deal, says Senate leader

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

The Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC) Campaign Council for the re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in Ekiti State, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Wednesday, described the June 20 governorship election in the state as a done deal.

The council said the party is not intimidated by the return of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wole Oluyede, to the list of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying the recent crowd mobilised by the party in Ikere-Ekiti, poses no threat to the ruling party’s electoral prospects in the state.

The Director-General of the campaign council, Senator Cyril Fasuyi, stated that the campaign council remained confident of overwhelming support across the state and had already set a minimum target of 500,000 votes in the forthcoming election.

According to him, the ruling party would not only match the opposition’s mobilisation efforts but would surpass them when the time comes, adding that the mobilisation by the opposition should not be interpreted as a political signal capable of altering the existing political dynamics in the state.

Fasuyi stated this while addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti during the meeting of the Campaign Council held at the office of Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.

Recall that Oluyede was received in Ikere-Ekiti, his hometown by a mammoth crowd of his supporters from across Ekiti State, after his name was returned to INEC’s party as the candidate of the party.

His words, “The mandate is to be able to have 500,000 votes. That would be the minimum and that will be history in Ekiti. We are working towards that.

“Concerning the rejuvenation of the opposition party in the state, particularly the trooping of PDP supporters in Ikere yesterday, There is no signal. We are going to match them and surpass them. We have our mandate, which is 500,000 votes.

“So we are going to achieve that minimum by the grace of God. We have the support of everybody in the state and you are talking about just one local government, not up to sixteen.

“So we have members everywhere. Our Deputy Governor is also from Ikere. So what are we talking about?”

Earlier, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, explained that the campaign structure had been carefully designed with various directorates to coordinate activities across the state.

He disclosed that the Central Coordinating Directorate of the campaign would be headed by Fasuyi as Director-General, with Senator Yemi Adaramodu serving as Deputy Director-General alongside other coordinators and members.

Bamidele further revealed that members of the House of Representatives from the state had been appointed as federal constituency coordinators in the six federal constituencies, while the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Stephen Aribasoye, would also serve in the central coordinating directorate.

According to him, the campaign council has already populated the various directorates with directors, deputy directors and members, with the full list to be released publicly in the coming days.

He said the campaign would not only focus on securing victory in the governorship election scheduled for June 20 but would also serve as a platform to mobilise voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, including those for the presidency, the National Assembly and state legislatures.

Also speaking, Governor Oyebanji said the campaign strategy was the outcome of deliberations by a committee set up to design the operational framework for the exercise.

He explained that the committee’s report had been approved and members selected to implement the plan, noting that the campaign would be conducted in a way that engages and energises voters across the state.

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