In this interview with “YOMI AYELESO,” Biodun Oyebanji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the state’s June 18 governorship election, discusses his victory, the controversies surrounding his rise to prominence, and his goals for the people of Ekiti. Oyebanji was the immediate past secretary to the Ekiti State government.

In an attempt to force you onto the party, seven other candidates have asked the party to overturn the results of the primary held on January 27. They added that the procedure did not live up to the expectations of internal democracy. How do you interpret this?

To begin with, let me express my amazement that respected senior party members are pushing this narrative given the outcome did not favor them. I think there was a level playing field for all of the candidates and that the election process was legitimate, free, and fair. Nigerians may find it interesting to learn that we held a stakeholders’ meeting the day before the election and decided on the engagement strategy there. After the discussion, all of the candidates approved of the plans that had been made, and I departed to cast my ballot in my hometown. After the procedure, persons emerged from all 177 wards, were authenticated in compliance with the party’s procedures, had their votes counted, and the results were announced.

Regarding the seven other candidates’ protest, I appreciate their right to do so and am aware that the party has internal processes in place to handle this matter as a whole. I’ve been corresponding with a few of them as their colleague, and we’re having conversations. I’m optimistic that all of those problems will be handled inside the APC family.

What steps do you think the party could take right now, and are you open to a meeting or resolutions of any type to prevent a repeat of the past, where angry APC members felt duped and collaborated with the opposition?

As I mentioned earlier, I have made contact with a few of them. We are now having a conversation, and in the coming days, I hope to expand on the discussions we have already had. I think the APC is capable of handling any problems that may arise from the fight because it is a powerful party. There will undoubtedly be differing viewpoints and opinions in every contest, but it is our collective responsibility to be adaptable and find solutions that serve the interests of our people, the state, and the party. I have no doubt that all of those goals will be met.

Although you insisted that the issue would be resolved, there are roughly seven candidates in the running, some of whom have been in the system for some time. Given that it appears they will file an appeal, what gives you hope that the case will ultimately be settled in your favor?

I feel very comfortable because of two things: first, there are allegations that are being looked into, and we are waiting to hear the investigation’s findings. That is the top item. Second, I know everyone of these candidates personally and they are all outstanding men in their own right. They want the best for the party and the state, and in the interest of making sure that Ekiti State grows and that we don’t split the APC, reason will win out in the end, and I have no doubt that it will be settled.

You received 101,703 votes, and the person who came in second received 760 votes, thus one could be inclined to wonder if the election was fair given the results. Is that a sign that you’re becoming popular?

In actuality, it combines the two. First of all, my followers cast their votes for me, and the APC in Ekiti State currently has well over 180,000 registered members. Second, I might be mistaken, but it’s possible that the panicked announcement that the election had been postponed, disseminated by my fellow candidates, contributed to some candidates’ dismal performance in the poll. Naturally, this bewildered their supporters since, upon seeing the alleged press release that seven of them had signed, their supporters were perplexed.

Regretfully, some of my followers chose to stay indoors as well; it wasn’t just their followers who abstained. That may have been the reason why their followers did not show up to vote, but we mobilized and encouraged them to do so because the committee in charge of the primaries insisted that the election must go. We waged the most intense campaign before the primary, as is documented.

We made four separate trips to the 16 local government districts and 177 wards to pitch our manifestos of prosperity to the local populace. I doubt that any of the candidates carried that out. Whatever the case, it is our responsibility to make sure that we start the process of reconciliation in order to unite everyone and go into the June 18 election as one family. I’m thinking that this is a family matter and that it will be settled peacefully.

Is it accurate to say that you are Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s governorship candidate? We must make that clear since the other candidates claimed that the entire procedure was biased in your favor and that the Governor personally selected the majority of the people overseeing the process in an effort to get a predefined result.

Every party member in the state, including myself and my fellow candidates, has a relationship with Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who leads the party. I have worked with Governor Fayemi for seven years, and I have known him for twenty years. He has sent me to work in a variety of ministries and positions over the past seven years, and I sincerely think I have represented myself well. Since everyone in this race has a relationship of some kind with Governor Fayemi and we are all close to him, that does not grant me an exclusive preserve of contact with him. I disagree with the assertion made in some quarters that the Governor personally selected the individuals in charge of the process. First off, although though I would prefer not to speak on behalf of the committee that planned the election, I am aware that each candidate submitted the names of twenty party members, all of which were taken into consideration. In actuality, this is a party event, and guests from other parties shouldn’t be working here. The fact that these so-called appointments or elected officials—who they said were recruited in—were party members who had been encouraged to join the government a few years or months prior will also be of interest to the general public. It’s ridiculous to turn around now and call them Oyebanji guys. They and I are in relationships.

Beyond the election and the politics surrounding it, specifically, what are your plans for the people of Ekiti if you are elected governor on June 18?

The state has a developmental agenda, and we will keep stepping up our efforts in regions where our administration hasn’t completed its work. In order to find out what more the people of Ekiti want us to do to improve their situation in life, we will also hold talks with them. I visited Ekiti State four times during my primary campaign, and the input I received from party members and the general public will also influence how I would rule. We shall present the platform outlined in our party manifesto to the public in the run-up to the election and solicit their input once more. The Kayode Fayemi administration’s distinctive selling point is that we constantly inquire about the needs of the populace. Every three months, we will visit them to ask, “Okay, now that we’ve completed this, what should we do next?” We intend to stay on that course, concentrating primarily on three areas given the state of the nation at the moment: employment for our burgeoning youth, security, and expanding the state economy to ensure the prosperity of the populace. We are going to prioritize these since they are really fundamental.

You are running against Bisi Kolawole, a candidate endorsed by former governor Ayodele Fayose, in the June gubernatorial election. What would you do differently in this contest, and what should be the expectation?

We are going to market our manifesto to the public. We will remind them of the commitments made by Governor Kayode Fayemi, which he has kept. Thank God, these are community-based initiatives that are implemented throughout Ekiti State. Not a single town has gone without at least two or three projects from this administration. We would remind them of that, inform them of more we can do, and emphasize the importance of sticking with the government that has looked out for their interests for the previous three years.

Because you constantly mentioning what Governor Kayode Fayemi is doing, would you be running on her record or your own personality? Given that you have denied being his chosen candidate, is this not contradictory?

As the party’s head, Dr. Fayemi automatically endorses the candidate who emerges as the party’s nominee. Should any of my fellow contenders secure the ticket, they will automatically be Fayemi’s and the party’s nominee for the June 18 governor’s race. Back to my person now. I will gain from his accomplishments because I served as his secretary to the state government and I am unable to leave his administration. In that regard, the electorate’s decision on June 18 will be based on both the public’s expectations of me and Governor Kayode Fayemi’s performance. The two will collaborate. It seems sense that a candidate who wishes to run on the same platform as the governor and whose administration has performed successfully will gain from that government’s achievements.

Additionally, I believe that my people know and understand me very well, and this is not the first time that we have worked together to develop Ekiti. They are able to vouch for my abilities, morality, and empathy. Additionally, we will run our campaign on the prepared manifesto.

We will lay out the platform and make it abundantly evident to the public over the coming weeks, but I will not conduct this campaign without acknowledging Governor Kayode Fayemi’s outstanding work. Since I will be running on the APC platform and he is the APC leader in our beloved state, the two will work together. Moreover, because he has performed successfully, his performance will help my campaign.