The build-up to the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election has taken a new twist as the campaign organisation of governorship aspirant, Engineer Kayode Ojo, has accused Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of mismanaging state resources, intimidating party members, and plotting to stifle internal democracy within the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the Kayode Ojo Campaign Organisation said preparations for the APC governorship primary slated for October 26, 2025, were being undermined by what it described as the governor’s “desperation to retain power at all costs.”
The campaign alleged that despite receiving over N286 billion from the Federation Account as of June 2025, alongside an estimated N70 billion in internally generated revenue, the Oyebanji-led administration had little to show in terms of tangible development. According to the group, many communities in the state capital remain without motorable roads or electricity, while key projects such as the overhead bridge in Ado-Ekiti have stalled.
It also accused the government of plunging the state into further debt by facilitating a N90 billion bond, allegedly in collaboration with financial institutions and political allies.
Beyond the financial accusations, the campaign organisation criticised the government’s handling of workers’ welfare, saying that pension arrears remain unpaid while only a fraction of workers’ entitlements have been addressed.
The group also alleged that state resources were wasted on what it called “endorsement rallies,” claiming more than N20 billion was spent coercing workers, artisans, and other groups into calling on the governor to seek re-election.
On the political front, the Ojo campaign said its supporters had faced harassment, intimidation, and even arrests on trumped-up charges across several local government areas, including Ado-Ekiti, Igede, and Moba. It urged security agencies, including the Inspector General of Police, to ensure a level playing field ahead of the APC primaries.
The campaign further accused Governor Oyebanji of attempting to monopolise the party structure by issuing threats to local government chairmen and ward executives not to entertain other aspirants. It described such moves as undemocratic and against the spirit of fairness within the APC.
“We wish to remind Mr. Governor that APC belongs to all of us,” the statement read. “The forthcoming primary election is not a do-or-die affair. He must shed the toga of an autocrat and start behaving like a democrat.”
Calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC national leadership to intervene, the Kayode Ojo Campaign Organisation vowed to resist intimidation and continue mobilising supporters across all 16 local governments of the state ahead of the primaries.
Supporters were urged to remain steadfast, law-abiding, and committed to what the group described as the “liberation of Ekiti State from political and economic bondage.”
