Ahead of the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State, a leading Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) aspirant, Otunba Emmanuel Ajisafe Fayose, has appealed to party leaders and stakeholders to support his ambition at the party’s primary and in next year’s gubernatorial elections in the state.
This was as he described the gale of
endorsements for the second term bid of the state Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, as inconsequential and that they cannot determine victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the gubernatorial election.
Otunba Fayose said this on Wednesday, in Irepodun /Ifelodun and Ado Local Government Areas, during his familiarisation tour to all the 16 Local Government Areas of Ekiti State,
as part of his preparation for the coming primary and governorship elections, where he promised party chieftains and members to run an open, transparent and transformative government if giving the ticket to be the flag bearer of the party in the 2026 election.
The familiarisation tour captured all the five local governments in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, comprising Ado, Ijero, Efon, Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ekiti West,
while the tour to Local Government Areas in Ekiti North and Ekiti South Senatorial Districts will hold in the subsequent weeks.
While soliciting the support of the PDP leaders and executive officers to get the party’s ticket at the primary, he maintained that his reason for joining the contest is to correct the misgovernance and misappropriation of public money under the present government of the APC and to ensure unity, oneness and victory for PDP in the coming elections in the state.
While addressing party members in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government, Fayose maintained that he is a thorough and well-bred son of the soil of the local government, therefore, he is bold and courageous enough to approach his people for support and prayers as he declared to contest for the position of the governor.
“I came here today to greet you and let you know about my ambition to contest for governorship election under this great party, PDP, in 2026. It is evidently clear that, without you behind me nothing can be achieved, therefore, I solicit for your support and prayers towards realising this goal and I believe it will surely come to pass,” he said.
Responding to the roles played by his elder brother, Former Governor Ayodele Fayose, in the party, the governorship aspirant said he has been in the party since year 2,000 therefore, he has nowhere to go. He asserted that he has come to join hands with the party leaders to build and not to destroy the party.
“it is evidently clear that same parents will always give birth to every twins in the world, but, I want to point out that their characters, manners and approach to issues are different. The two cannot act the same way and cannot have the same mindsets therefore, I should be judged for who I am and not for what my brother is.”
He said further that he has come to surpass other governors who had earlier governed the state in terms of achievements and ready to use his vast experience in administration and those garnered through his trips to different parts of the world to improve on what others have done.
Addressing party members in Ado Local Government Area, Otunba Fayose said when PDP was in government, things were easy for the masses. He urged the party members to have faith and believe that the PDP will win the next governorship election in the state.
“Nobody knows the mystery behind every woman’s pregnancy, let us have faith that all the Goliath’s on our way will fall and God will overturn them on our behalf.
“I have come today to present myself to you as the aspirant under our great party, PDP, to occupy the government house come 2026. By the special grace of God and the support of all of you in the party we shall reach the promise land,” he said.
He promised not to falter nor forget his source if he gets to power. “I am not a new person to you in Ado-Ekiti therefore, I want you to accept me and support my ambition. Let us plan, hatch and enjoy the dividends together and I promise I will represent you very well.”
The ICT guru and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Specialist who is optimistic that his party, PDP, will win the next election affirmed that though there is crisis currently in the party but it is being looked into and by God’s grace, it will be resolved. He said PDP is now one house and if they can go into the elections in oneness they will defeat the APC because now, there is hunger in the land and people are suffering due to bad governance.
Otunba Fayose who said there is hunger in Ekiti land and that the people of the state are suffering due to bad governance, condemned the gale of endorsements for the re-election bid of Oyebanji, “the endorsements are baseless, weightless, inconsequential and cannot determine the success of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.”
Speaking further, he said Oyebanji does not deserve a second term in office because he has been wasteful with the state’s resources and there is no develop in Ekiti State. There is nothing meaningful to point at. There is no justification for the allocations coming to the state.
“There is nothing to show for all the allocations he has been receiving for almost three years. No project has been concessioned since assumption of office. The endorsements cannot guarantee his victory. They cannot hold water.”
The politician noted that those behind the endorsements and praise singing Oyebanji are his direct beneficiaries who have been siphoning the state’s money along with the people in office.
“What I know is that the people’s mandate matters and the mandate given to Oyebanji is expected to yield results or dividends for the people of the state and these are not forth coming, that is to tell you that the endorsements were bought and by God’s grace come 2026, I am going to take that mandate because I am challenging the mandate he has mismanaged.”
In their separate remarks, the party Chairmen for,Ado and Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Governments, Hons. Femi Odeyemi and Ademola Alade, commended the courage of Otunba Fayose for coming out at this hard times to salvage the party from total collapse.
The party chairman in Ado Local Government, Hon. Femi Odeyemi said the PDP will be victorious in next year’s poll. He noted that PDP is the only party that remembers the masses, ensures that the people are well represented and taking care of whenever they are in government.
“I salute our Excellency, Otunba Emmanuel Fayose, I also greet our party leaders who stood by the party through thick and thin to ensure that the party did not die. It is only someone with courage that can come out at this present time when the party is undergoing a big difficulty to vie for governorship position.
“Like I said before, it is only someone with faith and believe that this party will win next election that can come out at this period. We are grateful to you and God will answer your prayers,” he said.
His counterpart in Irepodun/ Ifelodun Local Government, Hon. Ademola Alade, on behalf of party members in the local government expressed their joy in receiving the governorship aspirant who also is a son of the soil. He noted that the party needs a unifier, someone who can mobilise and bring people together, the qualities which he said he saw in Otunba Fayose.
“The era of people selling us out is gone. We struggled to be here. All our people here struggled to be on these seats today and we don’t want to witness the last experience which was not palatable for us at all. We know your pedigree and we are counting on you with confidence that people like you can salvage the party,” he said.
Among those present at the meetings were party leaders, Chairmen, executives, women leaders, wards chairmen, members, supporters among others.
