October 9, 2025, was a momentous day in the lives of Ekiti people, both old and young, irrespective of political or religious inclinations. It was a day that could be best described as a celebration of hope and joy.
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The APC members from all nooks and crannies of the state forced th eir way to Ado Ekiti, the state capital, while others were forced to return to their homes just before reaching the city due to intimidation, harassment, and oppression by some thugs hired by the state government.
The sole purpose of the gathering was to welcome Engr. Kayode Ojo on his official declaration to participate in the primaries to challenge the incumbent Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, for the party ticket.
As early as 7:00 am, a large crowd of APC supporters of Engr. Kayode Ojo had besieged both his campaign and APC state secretariats, despite announcements on various media platforms that the event would start at 10 am.
The crowd was beyond human comprehension and imagination due to the baseless claim by the state government that the Ikoro Ekiti-born Metallurgical and Materials Engineer who contested APC primary elections in 2017 and 2021 in the state was relatively unknown within the party in Ekiti.
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The APC governorship screening committee headed by Hon. Tunji Olawuyi in its wisdom, gave Engr. Kayode Ojo a provisional clearance and referred the case to the National Working Committee instead of the Appeal Committee.
People waited in the scorching heat for more than nine hours in anticipation to receive Engr. Kayode Ojo, and when he eventually arrived in Ado Ekiti after his delayed flight touched ground in Akure, the Ondo State capital, before his convoy moved to the city around 5:30 pm due to another delay caused by the huge crowd especially in Ikere Ekiti.
The white-bearded aspirant and his entourage moved directly to the state party secretariat, where he addressed his supporters with astonishing voice and immense humility.
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However, the day took a dark turn due to the recklessness of some desperate politicians who believed in their demented and unhinged minds that the position of authority in the state should be treated as a hereditary chieftaincy title.
But, for the love of the state and people, Engr. Kayode Ojo put aside the unpleasant news and adroitly told his supporters that they could hear any rumor from any quarter at any time but reassured them of his determination to banish poverty among the people and give the state a face-lift if elected.
However, Nigerians are not unaware of what might have transpired in terms of billions of Naira in Ekiti resources that ought to have been used to develop the state but were rather taken to Abuja and expended on the disqualification of Engr. Kayode Ojo.
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Immediately supporters left the venue of the declaration, the news of his disqualification filtered through the town, and the already joyous atmosphere in the state suddenly turned sour, and even the electorate across the state had no option than to lament, wail, and express sorrowful mood.
As early as 8:00 am on the second day, October 10, 2025, the undeterred and determined Engineer who had executed numerous capital projects as a contractor within and outside Nigeria came out boldly with a confident demeanor and reassured his supporters that all antics of opposition members to get him out of the race would fail.
His words of assurance again reinvigorated the already wounded spirits of the majority of disgruntled APC members and other large percentages of the electorate who have been neglected by the Oyebanji-led government in the state.
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However, the only logical question people are now asking is “why a sitting Governor would be afraid to contest a primary election with another party member or members?” This is nothing but an acceptance of defeat and failure of the few opportunists currently holding the state to ransom because of their desperation to get a second-term ticket in the state at all costs.
The Governor had long seen the signals of his rejection by all strata of opinions that matter, including civil servants, artisans, students, teachers, both traditional and religious leaders, contractors, and business owners, as more than twenty government appointees have publicly tendered their resignation letters.
The game to the primary election is still very much on, and one thing that is sacrosanct is that, just as Oyebanji’s supporters have been sure even before the screening exercise that Engr. Kayode Ojo would be screened out to pave the way for Oyebanji to run unopposed in the primaries, Engr. Kayode Ojo will also be cleared by the National Working Committee to contest and not only contest but also win the primary and governorship elections on the platform of APC in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
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Femi Awojobi, A Journalist and Media Expert Writes From Ado Ekiti 080 3764 3696, [email protected]⁸