Ekiti Governor Oyebanji Vows To Deliver 700,000 Votes For Tinubu In 2027 Presidential Election

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will deliver about 700,000 votes for Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Oyebanji made the declaration on Wednesday while speaking to journalists after a meeting with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. He was accompanied by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.

The governor based his projection on what he described as the APC's steady growth in electoral support across recent elections in Ekiti State.

"The president's chances are very bright. In 2022 when we first contested, we won with about 187,000 votes," Oyebanji said.

"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, who recently won re-election for a second term as governor, attributed his victory to what he described as God's grace and Tinubu's support.

"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," he said.

"These are the two factors that led to the result we saw two weeks ago."

The governor also disclosed that he had begun reconciliation efforts by reaching out to his major opponents after the governorship election, saying governance must take precedence over politics.

"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."

Oyebanji further pledged to sustain the implementation of Ekiti State's 30-year development plan, describing it as the foundation of his administration's annual budgets and policy direction.

He also reiterated his support for the establishment of state police, saying governors were ready to expedite the constitutional amendment process once it is transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly.

"We are ready for state police. We are thankful to the National Assembly for the constitutional amendments, and we are waiting for them to be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly," he said.

"The governors have made up their minds that they are going to give it speedy approval so that we can start implementation."