From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

The national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at Blantyre Street and environs in Wuse 2, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, was ccompletely lockdown for both vehicular and human traffic last Wednesday.

Akin to a big event, comparable with the headquarters hosting the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, the vicinity, which strangely witnessed a total shutdown for several hours, inflicted torture, suffering, and smiling on the stakeholders who identified with the celebrations and the road users.

Retrospectively, it was the first of its kind because never in the history of returning party’s completed expression of interest and nomination forms by any governorship or even presidential aspirant did residents, passersby and party stakeholders feel the magnitude of such a carnival-like glamorous event like what transpired last Wednesday.

The big masquerade behind the mask, the governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO), did not only decide to set new standards but also made a scary, bold statement to perhaps deliberately intimidate his contestants that dared to purchase nomination forms to challenge his power of incumbency for the party’s ticket at the primary.

The roll call of the attendees was very intimidating. It was a day when almost all the important offices in Ekiti State were practically put under lock and key to enable the stakeholders to travel that long distance on several medium and long-sized buses, loaded to the brim with almost all the relevant party members, elective and appointive government officials.

They had arrived Abuja and the party’s secretariat, their destination, in a motorcade fashion, just to be part of the historic event marked in glitz and glamour.

Dancers, drummers, hunters, and other side attractions were expectedly not in short demand and supply throughout the long hours the colourfully dressed stakeholders waited patiently for Governor Oyebanji’s triumphant entry first into the compound of the national secretariat and finally into the over 2000-seater capacity, massive, well-decorated, chilling tent.

It was such a big event that it overshadowed the impact and even relegated to an inconsequential level the visibility of other aspirants who equally returned their nomination forms. It was so intimidating that it also forced the other aspirants to perform the ritual of submitting their forms secretly.

Then, speaker after speaker, from the Ekiti State’s three arms of government, the executive, State legislatures and the judiciary, national leadership of the ruling party, National Assembly members from the state and other stakeholders, were clearly on the same mission to exalt, pass a vote of confidence and more importantly give automatic re-election endorsement ticket to the man of the moment who was obviously the cynosure of all eyes that day.

And one of the biggest takeaways of that event was that almost all the stakeholders in attendance could easily conclude that both the October 27 party’s primary and next year’s main election had been won and lost in favour of the governor and against his opponents within and outside the party.

In the harvest of endorsements for his second-term aspiration, eminent personalities, distinguished individuals, party leaders, senior citizens, labour unions, youths, students, and interest groups were all in sync in attesting to his noble and sterling character. They were also unanimous in declaring him fit, proper, and worthy of being entrusted with another four-year mandate to govern the state.

On hand to host him include the retinue of APC National Working Committee (NWC) members led by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, who represented their National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda.

And on behalf of the party’s national leadership, Enukwu, in his speech, said: “The present governor of Ekiti State (Oyebanji) has undergone apprenticeship under former governors who are all behind him. We have heard you loud and clear, and the difference is clear.

“We are going to conduct a free and fair primary election, and the delegates will elect the person supported by the whole congregation of Ekiti State,” the party’s national leadership assured him and perhaps other aspirants.

To strengthen what many feel has become the resolution of the party, APC’s National Vice Chairman (South West), Chief Isaac Kekemeke, said that Oyebanji has raised the bar and set a standard in the submission of forms by governorship contenders.

He said: “We (the party) have seen you and we have heard you. This is more than the submission of forms; this is something that is unique. I don’t think the national secretariat has witnessed this kind of ceremony for the submission of forms. We have seen you and we have heard you, go and do what you have done here in Ekiti State.”

The goodwill messages of endorsement and solidarity equally came from the first elected governor of the state, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, who confirmed that all the former governors have resolved to back Oyebanji’s re-election bid on the strength of his leadership qualities and monumental achievements he recorded so far in his stewardship of the state.

Adebayo said: “He (Oyebanji) was one of the first persons who worked for my governorship campaign project, and we were elected. After losing the re-election bid, I returned to Lagos to make a living. BAO stood by me when others left me.

“Ever since I met him, he has been like my own blood. All former governors of Ekiti State are in support of BAO. Our national leaders, we in Ekiti State will not disappoint you, and BAO will not disappoint too,” he assured.

Equally identifying himself in the gale of endorsements of the governor’s re-election bid was the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who, on behalf of all National Assembly members from Ekiti State, assured that all federal legislators are rooting for Oyebanji because he has done well in office and has equally done them proud.

Senator Bamidele said, “His victory in the October 27 primary will not be a fluke. If it is an indirect primary, we are the delegates, and if it is a direct primary, we are in charge, and party members are on the ground. All of us will ensure that we deliver our constituencies.”

However, beyond the razzmatazz of staging such a historical landmark ceremony to make a bold statement, it equally provided the opportunity for Governor Oyebanji to clarify a myriad of misconceptions and answer to certain critical questions from curious newsmen and political detractors, especially the allegations from Kayode Ojo, offensively bashing him and insisting that withdrawing from the party’s primary will be a remote possibility.

The governor expectedly took time to tactically and diplomatically dismiss such allegations that he is battling certain forces from the presidency that are uncomfortable with his re-election bid due to his closeness to his godfather and immediate past predecessor, Kayode Fayemi, who is believed to be planning to drag him to the opposition coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) after his victory next year.

Although Governor Oyibanji was not able to respond to the claims from fellow aspirant, Kayode Ojo, that a monumental failure like him does not deserve a second term ticket, he was, however, able to make a bold statement that the ticket is for him to keep.

Starting with the chronicling of his scorecard, Governor Oyebanji, while fielding questions from newsmen after the event, said: “When we campaigned three years ago, it was on the mantra of continuity for shared prosperity, building on the work of past administrations and creating an ecosystem that delivers prosperity to our people.

“In less than three years, we have achieved close to 80 per cent completion of inherited projects, because these projects belong to the people and were funded with public resources. We have also created conditions for productivity. People who are not productive cannot prosper.

“We put in place the building blocks for productivity, infrastructure, electricity, and healthcare. For example, more than 60 communities that had been in darkness for nearly two decades have now been connected to the grid. We believe strongly that productivity also requires a robust healthcare system. From primary to tertiary levels, we have upgraded facilities across the state.

“We also ensured parity in remuneration, paying doctors and health workers at the state level what their federal counterparts earn, while also keeping up with gratuities and pensions. Beyond infrastructure and welfare, we are reforming the workforce to restore trust in government. Trust in leadership is critical, and I want to be remembered as a governor who kept his promises,” he enumerated.

On what the citizens of the state should expect after his re-election, Governor Oyebanji said: “Looking ahead, one area I am determined to improve further is education. I desire to see modern learning tools, such as electronic boards, in all schools in Ekiti State. Education remains the pathway to productivity and prosperity, and we will focus more on innovation and technology to prepare our people for the challenges of the 21st century.”

Not done yet, he dismissed the insinuations that he is hobnobbing with his predecessor, Kayode Fayemi speculated to be with the opposition coalition ADC, claiming that Fayemi is still not only with the APC but will also attend the party’s stakeholders meeting.

“Former governor Fayemi has not informed me that he is joining the ADC. The ADC has become an anathema that politicians use to bring down their opponents. All former governors of the state are backing me and the President, all lawmakers, all party stakeholders, and the labour union are all supporting us.

“Don’t believe the propaganda; Ekiti people did not elect me to spread propaganda. Fayemi is actively involved in our party activities and will attend our forthcoming stakeholders’ meeting in Ekiti. The talk about division is mere propaganda. Ekiti APC remains united and indivisible,” he insisted.

Governor Oyebanji equally has words of advice to the contestants who picked the APC nomination forms, warning that he will not only win the party’s primary but will also break the jinx of his predecessors failing to win their second tenure back-to-back.

“There is no polling unit in social media. It is within their fundamental right to contest, but they can only win the primary on social media,” he quipped sarcastically.

On allegations that he divided the party members in the state, Oyebanji not only dismissed them but also pleaded with the party’s leadership to help him break the re-election jinx.

“The beauty of democracy is freedom of expression. People are entitled to their opinions, but the massive show of support we have here today does not reflect a divided party. Former governors, deputy governors, National Assembly members, local government chairmen, and other stakeholders are united behind the APC in Ekiti State. Ours is one of the strongest chapters in the country.

“There is a request we are pleading that we come with that is very dear to the heart of everybody from Ekiti State. Since the creation of the state, no governor has served a second term in a row. They will go and come back. This has hit us on the canvas. It has retarded the development of the state.

“If the people have chosen to come in this number, to plead with you, to help us remove this reproach from us as a state, we see it as a jinx that must be broken. We see it as a reproach that has retarded our growth as a state. We don’t want current gains to be reversed. We have absolute confidence in the ability of national leadership to conduct a free and fair primary. We also recognise the rights of anybody, loyal party members, who are qualified to contest.

“We just wanted to come here to plead with you that the only thing standing against the Ekiti people and development is this come-and-go attitude of governors. You know, it’s not in our best interest as a people. And by the same grace of God, I have a divine mandate to break that jinx. And that grace will be broken because God sent us for this purpose,” he expressed confidence.

However, despite the assurances and appeals, if the threats and poser from his political opponents claiming that fielding him would be tantamount to electoral disaster and doom for President Tinubu’s re-election bid in the state is anything to go by, it will perhaps not be a stroll in the park for him.

In what looked like a crack in the relationship among the stakeholders, apart from accusing the party’s national secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, of bias in handling the build-up to the primary, one of the aspirants, Kayode Ojo, had warned the party that President Tinubu’s re-election will end in fiasco in the state if Governor Oyibanji is re-elected.

“I am not here to malign the National Secretary because I understand that we have acquaintances and friends, and even if you are in a position as an umpire, you will still have one or two persons you have soft spots for. But, he did not manage it well by making a statement in a national newspaper that aspirants buying nomination forms are just wasting their money.

“I can only call that youthful exuberance; however, as I said earlier, I respect the office of the national secretary, which he occupies. But I want to implore him to recalibrate his behaviour and understand that this country is superior to all of us.

“Many people think that when you do something, it benefits only you, but they don’t look at the consequences of those actions, which, at the end of the day, do not benefit the generality of the people and the state, and will eventually come back to you. Look at the actions of the past governments; are we not all suffering from them now? We have to do things above our own personal interest.

“We are not going to contest on protest. We will contest as the leading aspirant. The NWC is a composition of many members, not an individual. We have absolute confidence in the NWC that they will be fair in line with the Federal Government direction,” he said.

He however said “I can tell you categorically that if we field this current governor as our candidate in Ekiti, the 2027 presidential election will end up in a terrible disaster for President Tinubu. Ekiti will give President Tinubu election koboko.

“We cannot afford to take chances, and that is why well-meaning people of Ekiti came to me to rescue our party in trouble. They told me to take the ticket to ensure that our father, working very hard with unprecedented reforms, continues beyond 2027 on the path of genuine growth, development, and security,” he warned.