Oyebanji: I’m Targeting 700,000 Votes for Tinubu in 2027, Vows Inclusive Governance

• Promises to carry opposition leaders along in act of governance

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has projected that the state would deliver between 600,000 and 700,000 votes for President BolaTinubu during the January, 2027 general election

He expressed confidence that the target was achievable following the growing electoral support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday at the State House after meeting Tinubu, Oyebanji, said the steady rise in the party’s electoral performance since 2022 showed that the president’s re-election prospects in Ekiti were “very bright.”

The governor, who last month secured a historic second term in office, said APC won about 187,000 votes in the 2022 governorship election, increased the figure to about 210,000 during the 2023 presidential election, and recorded about 318,000 votes in the 2026 governorship poll.

According to him, “The President’s chances are very bright. In 2022, when we first contested, we won with about 187,000 votes. Six months later, when the President contested and I had only been in office for a few months, we increased it to about 210,000 votes.

“This 2026 governorship election has produced about 318,000 votes. So you can extrapolate from that and see that our target in 2027 is between 600,000 and 700,000 votes, and it is doable.”

Oyebanji attributed his re-election victory, the first by any governor in the state, to God’s grace and Tinubu’s support, saying both factors enabled his administration to fulfil its promises to the people.

His words: “It is not about what I have done differently. It is about two factors: the grace of God, and the support of the President that enabled us to deliver on our promises to our people. These are the two factors that led to the result we saw two weeks ago.”

He also pledged to run a more inclusive administration in his second term, stressing that the election was over and governance must now take precedence over politics.

Oyebanji disclosed that he had already reached out to his major opponents after the election, saying he personally called both candidates and had already visited one of them alongside the chairman of his campaign council.

He promised to also visit other opposition candidates on his return to Ekiti, adding that both had assured him of their cooperation in the interest of the state’s development.

“The election ended when the winner was declared. I phoned the two other candidates and, together with the chairman of the campaign council, we visited one of them. Once I get back to Ekiti, I will visit the other one.

“They have assured me of their cooperation because election has ended, politics has ended and we have to move back to governance. I told them I would need their wisdom, suggestions and advice in ensuring that we continue to deliver for our people,” he said.

On his agenda for second term, Oyebanji said his administration would remain committed to implementing Ekiti State’s 30-year development plan, explaining that the long-term blueprint would continue to guide government policies, annual budgets and development priorities.

Said he: “We are not going to do anything differently because that 30-year development plan is the basis upon which our yearly budgets are built and upon which our manifesto is crafted. We will continue to diligently follow that plan.”