My Loyalty Is Not Negotiable, Afuye Says as She Takes Oath for Second Term

Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, has pledged continued loyalty to Governor Biodun Oyebanji as she took the oath of office for a second term.

Afuye gave the assurance in Ado-Ekiti shortly after taking the oaths of office and allegiance, according to a statement by the Director of Press in the Deputy Governor’s Office, Tope Ariyo.

She said peace, cooperation and mutual understanding would remain important to the state’s development, adding that the first four years of the Oyebanji administration had laid a solid foundation for greater achievements.

“I am working with a governor who is passionate and sincere about Ekiti’s development. The last four years were nothing but the laying of concrete pillars for greater things ahead,” she said.

Afuye attributed the administration’s re-election to God’s grace and what she described as the governor’s honest leadership.

She said the government would sustain road construction across the state, strengthen Ekiti’s digital technology sector and expand youth-focused agricultural programmes to support industrial growth.

The deputy governor maintained that more development projects were expected in the new term, urging residents and stakeholders to support the government in achieving its plans.

She also stressed the importance of peace, noting that Ekiti’s development over the past four years had been supported by the relative calm in the state.

“Peace has been instrumental to the unprecedented developments that have been witnessed since we took over the mantle of leadership of this state,” she said.

Afuye called for dialogue and collective responsibility among political leaders, traditional rulers and residents, describing Ekiti as one indivisible entity.

She thanked traditional rulers, politicians and other stakeholders within and outside the state for their support for the Oyebanji administration.

The deputy governor also urged Ekiti residents to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the next presidential election, linking the state’s development to the cordial relationship between the governor and the President.

According to her, work has commenced on several federal roads in Ekiti, while plans are underway to address those yet to be attended to.

Afuye expressed optimism about the state’s economic prospects, saying Ekiti could become one of Nigeria’s leading state economies under Oyebanji’s leadership.