Ekiti 2026: The 3 Musketeers And Their Wild Goose Chase Support 

Not shocking though, Mr. Governor had come out to deny sponsoring such mammoth crowd for mere submission of forms. Who will not? If na you nko? The governor meant to tell the public that an average political ‘supporter’ from Ekiti, including the elderly from the hinterlands would spend an average of N150,000.00 – a very conservative amount – of their own on a jamboree? To what extent? To what gain? To support the governor genuinely for the wonderful work he is doing in Ekiti? The ‘wonderful work’ of audio governance – no roads, dilapidated schools, kwashiorkor-ed health etc? Mr. Governor must have taken the public for yo-yos. Governor Oyebanji may have adopted this watery apologia because politics has been loosely referred to as a game of deception. However, what the governor fails to understand is the unequivocal fact that it is not everyone that can be bamboozled.

Ekiti in recent times has witnessed ‘plenty dramas’. One of such was when a governor claimed sole endorsement of his candidacy only to be stupefied that such claim of endorsement only existed in the figment of his own imagination. If for nothing, at least 3 other aspirants of APC extraction had equally picked gubernatorial forms of the Party. Perhaps, the governor may have been enthralled by the statement from the Party’s National Secretary, Sen. Ajibola Bashir, who was reported to have said during the mega rally organised for Mr. Governor to declare for second term. Ajibola was reported to have said whoever went ahead to purchase form against the governor only wasted their resources. Of course, it is not surprising, Sen. Ajibola is notorious for always spewing gibberish. That is his idiosyncrasy.

 Beyond such infantile viva voce from the APC scribe is the funny but sad story of the ‘Àgbààgbà méta’ declaring their support for a man with no signature project in Ekiti State except an unnecessary flyover. It is funny because these ‘adàgbà jé Ràúfùs’ are only playing on the naivety of the governor, who seems to know next to nothing when it comes to running the affairs of a state. It is sad and sardonic because the entire Ekiti people have to suffer for these people’s greed. There is no denying the fact that their so-called support is but pecuniary. They are supporting the governor only to ‘ganusi’ what comes into the state’s purse from the Federation Account. The trio of former governors Adeniyi Adebayo, Kayode Fayemi and Leader of the 10th Senate, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele today support Governor Oyebanji not because the latter has significant results to show in more than 3 years but because of their personal interests.

If we must access their pedigrees and capability to push for Governor Oyebanji’s return to Oke-Ayoba Government on its merit, who among them can spin a surprise? Is it the former executive governor of the state, Otunba ‘Niyi Adebayo, whose relevance in politics today is to the credit of Tinubu presidency? Was Adebayo not among the ‘Class of 1999’ alongside Mr. President? How relevant has he been over these years, or what structure does he have in Ekiti? Or should we talk about Ayo Fayose, who only became popular because of his jejune exuberances and the fact that he weaponise poverty through his ‘stomach infrastructure’ gimmick. If he is still that popular as he is claiming, why did his candidate during the 2022 gubernatorial election, Chief ‘Bisi Kolawole not win? He is living on his fading halo with no electoral value! The Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele is not worth discussing at all. A man whose constituents have seen for whom he truly is – self-serving, egocentric, and highly tendencious to cronyism.

The duo of Congressman Bimbo Daramola and Sen. Biodun Olujimi are not even deserving of a mention. While Daramola poses as the ‘errand boy’, Olujimi needs to sustain her lifestyle. Hence, since she could not beat them, she would rather join them to milk the state. The only man who enjoys organic support among them is former governor Segun Oni, who only sees the support as a lifeline for him to earn a means of livelihood. Simple as A, B, and C!

Ekiti is now an enterprise to these individuals who see it as their cash cow. And the fear of what is likely to come which remains unknown to them is why they have not the balls to call out the governor’s malfeasance and cluelessness. They knew they were accomplices on how the state has nosedived under their puppet of a governor. Did I hear somebody say, “But, but Fayose…?” Of course, as part of the ‘milkers’ (sic) sucking Ekiti’s ‘cow’ – her treasury as I mentioned earlier, Fayose remains the unofficial spokesperson of Governor Oyebanji since Chief Taiwo Olatunbosun, the man appointed for that purpose appears to be on A.W.O.L (absence without leave). Fayose has been the one speaking on every available media platform to market Governor Oyebanji’s government. Aside his dormant Special Adviser on Information, his Commissioner for Information as well as the Party’s State Spokesperson may not have seen any need to promote their ‘oga-at-the-top’ because there is actually nothing to campaign with.

Only few hours ago, the government of the day notorious for audio projects with no physicality reeled out, in its usual character, laid a bogus claim of N200billion road projects it has executed! Aiyé ooo! Ask them where the roads are located when, in actual fact, major roads in the state are in very deplorable conditions. May be the roads the government spokesperson was referring to have been constructed were the roads leading to the former this, former that pockets. History and posterity will be there to judge all those who had been former this, former that in Ekiti political circle, yet are today backing a man who has failed in all fronts because of their selfish interest. This is why President Tinubu will remain Nigeria’s greatest political generalissimo. He is more of a people’s politician than several others who are often self-serving like the 3 musketeers parroting support for a failed man, as if they had any structure on ground in Ekiti.

The musketeers are all on a wild goose chase to rescue a man who has hitherto failed the people, failed the mandate, and sadly failed the future of Ekiti. Many of these emergency ‘supporters’ were yesterday men and women who saw an opportunity to enrich themselves through a man whose only tactic in political maneuvering is the currency – his belief in buying support without gauging the pulse and considering the purse of the state. His wanton penchant for profligacy, reckless spending and utter abandonment of projects that will make Ekiti liveable for its citizenry define his leadership. Yet, his handlers want the public to believe all the lies about his government being workaholic. Meanwhile, facts speak otherwise. Or does legal jargon not state that ‘rep ipsa loquitor’ – facts speak for itself? Ekiti ranks 29th out of the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory in education. Only 48 hours ago, another shocking report came out from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that our darling Ekiti tops states with the highest rate of inflation in the whole country at 28.17% CPI. Does anyone need any soothsayer to know that the governor is a failure, a complete misfit?

We therefore call on Mr. President to come to the rescue of Ekiti from these hijackers whose only language is how much comes to them from people’s common patrimony. Ekiti is no doubt at the crossroads. The current leadership does not have what it takes to consolidate and complement the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President. Rather, Governor Oyebanji continues to push the narrative that the federal government under President Tinubu is indifferent to the hunger pervading Ekiti landscape. Otherwise, how come federal government’s interventions in the area of agriculture have not yielded any result? More money, yet more hunger. Those who think Ekiti’s public purse is exclusive to their families must be shown the exit door, Mr. President, Ekiti’s future is bleak with the current leadership in the state. And your quick intervention is not only germane at this critical moment, but also a guarantee for your victory in the now approaching 2027 general elections.