Jun 11, 2026

EKITI '26: Akpabio, MOB, Others Ignites APC’s 500k-Vote War Machine for Oyebanji

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

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ABUJA — In a striking display of political unity and raw organisational muscle, the All Progressives Congress on Wednesday rolled out its heaviest artillery to kick-start the final push for Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s re-election in the June 20 Ekiti State governorship election.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kwara Governor and Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and a constellation of ministers, lawmakers, and party chieftains converged at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.

Their mission: to inaugurate a national campaign council designed to deliver what the party believes will be a decisive victory.

The gathering, captured in photographs circulating widely on social media and news platforms, radiated the kind of high-stakes energy that only Nigerian politics at its most intense can produce — men in flowing agbadas and sharp suits exchanging firm handshakes, posing for group shots that telegraph solidarity, and projecting an unmistakable message: the APC is serious about retaining Ekiti.

APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda formally inaugurated the council, declaring the party “prepared to conquer Ekiti.”

He praised Oyebanji’s three-year record — roads that connect not just communities but “hearts across Ekiti,” scholarships, healthcare improvements, social protection programmes, and rural development — and offered what sounded very much like an early victory lap: “Informally, I can already say congratulations in advance.”

The council’s leadership reads like a who’s-who of APC power:

Chairman: Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State
Co-Chairman: Senate President Godswill Akpabio
Secretary: Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele

Specialised sub-committees handle finance and resource mobilisation, grassroots engagement, logistics, media and publicity, security, women’s mobilisation, youth mobilisation, and secretariat operations.

Campaign structures already exist in all 16 local government areas and 177 wards, backed by more than 10,000 canvassers on the ground.

Uba Sani set the tone with an ambitious target: more than 100% increase in the votes Oyebanji secured in 2022 and a margin of at least 500,000 votes over his nearest rival.

“Our goal is ambitious yet achievable,” he said, framing the effort as repayment to President Bola Tinubu for his support of APC governors nationwide.

Party leaders repeatedly returned to Oyebanji’s personal style and governance record.

Akpabio described him as “one of the most humble and accommodating governors in the country.” Dapo Abiodun, in a statement, highlighted “impactful governance and meaningful development” and expressed confidence that “the APC will emerge victorious.”

Oyebanji himself struck a measured, almost philosophical note: the real challenge is not winning, but delivering the numbers.

“Over the last three years, we have ensured that our social contract with the people of Ekiti is achieved,” he said. “June 20 will be a day to celebrate and appreciate President Tinubu.”

Supporters point to flagship projects such as the Ekiti Knowledge Zone — backed by an $80 million loan and promising up to 100,000 jobs — as concrete evidence of forward momentum.

The presence of virtually every living former Ekiti governor at or in support of the event was presented as unprecedented cross-generational endorsement.

With the election just nine days away, this inauguration is less a traditional campaign launch and more a final mobilisation sprint.

Ekiti’s 2026 contest features multiple candidates, including the ADC’s Ambassador DARE Bejide and PDP’s Wole Oluyede, but the APC portrays the opposition as fragmented and outmatched in structure, funding, and national backing.

For ordinary Ekiti people, the coming days will bring intensified door-to-door engagement, women and youth outreach, and a barrage of messaging about continuity versus change. The party’s internal primaries and power-sharing arrangements appear to have calmed earlier tensions, allowing a united front.

Yet nuances remain. Some voices on social media have questioned whether the intense focus on re-election machinery risks sidelining urgent national concerns such as insecurity and economic pressures.

A veteran journalist’s instinct is to note that Nigerian campaigns often run parallel to, rather than fully addressing, these lived realities — a tension that will likely surface in the final stretch.

This Abuja gathering carries weight beyond Ekiti. It tests the APC’s ability to convert national star power into state-level votes in a key Southwest stronghold.

A commanding victory would bolster narratives of Tinubu-era stability and reward governors seen as delivering.

A narrower win or surprise upset could expose vulnerabilities in even well-oiled party machines when elections are this close.

Edge considerations include potential last-minute legal or logistical hurdles common in Nigerian polls, voter turnout dynamics (especially among youth), and how effectively the 10,000+ canvassers translate elite enthusiasm into ballot-box numbers.

The council’s emphasis on women and youth mobilisation suggests the party is alive to demographic shifts.

For Ekiti, the implications are intimate: continued infrastructure push, job-creation bets like the Knowledge Zone, and the intangible but real sense of being at the centre of national political attention.

As the photographs from the event show — leaders standing shoulder to shoulder, smiles mixing with the seriousness of purpose — the APC has chosen visibility and collective ownership over quiet confidence.

Akpabio captured the mood succinctly: “It is not easy for a campaign council inauguration to attract this calibre of personalities. We are all here because we are loyal to our party and because we believe in the leadership being provided in Ekiti State.”

Nine days from now, Ekiti voters will deliver their verdict. The APC’s high-powered council has made its intentions unmistakable: they intend to make that verdict a resounding affirmation of continuity under Biodun Oyebanji.

The coming week will reveal whether star power, grassroots machinery, and ambitious targets can indeed “conquer” the Land of Honour.

For now, the political temperature in Abuja — and the quiet hum of preparation already underway across Ekiti’s 16 local governments — suggests the APC believes it has every tool required for the job.

The people of Ekiti, as always, will have the final word.