50 SOLID REASONS APC’S OYEBANJI WILL RE-EMERGE EKITI GOVERNOR COME JUNE 2026

By Seyifunmi Odunuga

*1. Proven Track Record:* BAO’s administration has delivered verifiable projects across all 16 LGAs and 22 LCDAs.  

*2. Road Infrastructure:* Massive construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of township and rural roads, including the Ado-Ekiti Ring Road.  

*3. Power Restoration:* Revived dormant electricity projects and expanded power access to underserved communities.  

*4. Business Climate Reforms:* Streamlined regulations and cut bureaucratic hurdles to attract investment and grow IGR.  

*5. Education Upgrade:* Renovated schools, recruited and trained teachers, paid bursaries, and accessed UBEC grants. 

*6. Healthcare Delivery:* Upgraded primary health centers, equipped general hospitals, and expanded health insurance coverage.  

*7. Salary & Pension Stability:* Ended arrears culture. Workers and retirees now receive entitlements as and when due.  

*8. Gratuity Clearance:* Commenced transparent, quarterly payment of inherited gratuity backlog.  

*9. Fiscal Transparency:* Scored 39/39 in Q4 2025 and 100/100 as “Progressive Performer” in Q4 2024. 

*10. Audit Leadership:* Topped the 2026 Subnational Audit Efficacy Index for accountability.  

*11. Published LGA/LCDA Budgets:* First Ekiti administration to publish local government budgets for public scrutiny.  

*12. Security Ranking:* Ekiti ranked the most secured state in Nigeria under BAO’s watch.  

*13. Amotekun Strengthening:* Provided patrol vehicles, training, allowances, and improved inter-agency coordination.  

*14. Unity Across Divides:* United traditional rulers, religious leaders, and political blocs for peace and progress. 

*15. Inclusive Governance:* Appointments and projects reflect senatorial balance. No community left behind. 

*16. Traditional Rulers’ Endorsement:* Association of Ekiti State Traditional Chieftaincy Title Holders backs BAO’s second term.  

*17. Religious Leaders’ Backing:* Christian and Muslim leaders cite his God-fearing, fair leadership.  

*18. Past Governors’ Support:* The first executive governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, the second executive governor, Chief Ayo Fayose, the third executive governor, Asiwaju Segun Oni, and the the immediate past executive governor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi have all passed votes of confidence and endorsed BAO for 2026.  

*19. APC Cohesion:* Unified party leaders, elders, and stakeholders. The APC goes into 2026 without internal cracks.  

*20. Weak Opposition:* PDP unsettled by crisis. No other party has statewide structure to challenge BAO.  

*21. APC Stronghold:* Ekiti remains a core APC state with grassroots dominance from ward to state level.  

*22. Continuity Advantage:* Second term guarantees completion of ongoing projects without policy reversals.  

*23. Grassroots Penetration:* BAO AGENDA 2026 tours have built momentum in all 177 wards.  

*24. People-Centric Focus:* Policies start from town halls and end with direct impact on citizens.  

*25. Responsive Leadership:* Swift action on floods, market fires, and community emergencies has built trust.  

*26. Effective Communication:* Uses radio, town halls, and digital platforms to explain policies in plain language.  

*27. Youth Empowerment:* Over 1,000 young farmers in commercial agric; 5,000+ trained in entrepreneurship with SMEDAN.  

*28. Women Inclusion:* Deputy Governor, SSG, Head of Service, and key MDAs are led by women. Ekiti is a gender balance model.  

*29. Agricultural Transformation:* 30-year Agric Plan launched. Farm settlements revived with ultramodern dormitories for youth farmers.  

*30. Food Security Gains:* Ekiti recorded Nigeria’s lowest food inflation rate due to large-scale production via YSJ partnership.  

*31. Rural Access:* Constructed rural roads linking farms to markets, boosting income for farmers.  

*32. Housing Delivery:* Flagged off 1,000 affordable units under Ado Ekiti New Town Project to cut housing deficit.  

*33. Sports Development:* Renovated Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, built Indoor Sports Complex, created Sports Commission, funded athletes.  

*34. Arts & Culture Growth:* Invested in cultural preservation and creative economy for job creation.  

*35. Tourism Push:* Upgraded Ikogosi, Arinta, and other sites. Positioning Ekiti as a conference and eco-tourism hub.  

*36. MSME Support:* Direct funding, training, and market access for over 15,000 small businesses.  

*37. Digital Governance:* Automated key services to block leakages and ease doing business.  

*38. Social Inclusion Reach:* Projects have touched over 200 towns and villages across all 16 LGAs.  

*39. Human Capital Plan:* Comprehensive blueprint for health, education, and labor force productivity now in motion.  

*40. Citizen Participation:* Institutionalized public feedback in budgeting and project monitoring. 

*41. Ojuse BAO Initiative:* Personal monthly salary deployed as cash grants, medical aid, and education support to individuals.  

*42. Ekiti Knowledge Zone:* Flagship tech and innovation hub moving from foundation to full operation for jobs.  

*43. Water Supply Projects:* Reticulation and rehabilitation works expanding clean water access in rural and urban areas.  

*44. Integrity Reputation:* Earned public praise for refusing inflated contracts and insisting on due process.  

*45. Compassion in Policy:* Palliatives, free health missions, and support for vulnerable groups define his approach.  

*46. Founder’s Advantage:* As Secretary of the Ekiti Creation Committee, BAO is now governing the state he helped birth.  

*47. Vision Clarity:* Clear roadmap to 2030 shared prosperity, not vague promises.  

*48. Party-Wide Endorsement:* APC leaders and stakeholders across Ekiti and beyond have ratified his second term bid.  

*49. Project Completion Drive:* Second term ensures signature projects like EKZ, Ring Road Phase 2, and IPP are delivered.  

*50. Performance as Message:* From workers to farmers, artisans to royals, the verdict is unanimous: BAO works.

Need we say more?

_Segun Dipe is the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ekiti State Chapter._