Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the June 2026 election, Dr Wole Oluyede, have intensified mobilisation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
The duo spoke on Tuesday at a mega rally and endorsement walk in Ado Ekiti, where the Oluyede Progressive Alliance for Renewed Hope Agenda (OPARHA) was formally unveiled.
The event, held at the Fajuyi Pavilion, attracted supporters, political leaders and party stakeholders from across Ekiti State’s 16 local government areas.
The rally was preceded by a walk led by Oluyede and his supporters from the Ajilosun area of Ado Ekiti to the Fajuyi Pavilion.
Addressing the gathering, Oyebanji said the mobilisation demonstrated that Ekiti people could put aside partisan differences and unite around issues concerning the development of the state.
The governor urged residents to support Tinubu’s re-election, citing what he described as the Federal Government’s interventions and infrastructure projects in the state.
Oyebanji said Tinubu’s return to office was important to sustaining development and attracting further investment to Ekiti.
He also expressed confidence that Ekiti could deliver up to 900,000 votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
“Let me explain to you why returning Asiwaju is so critical to us in Ekiti,” Oyebanji said, citing projects including the Ado-Ifaki Road, Ado-Akure Road, Itaore-Aramoko-Ado Road and Ado-Ijan-Ilumoba Road.
He commended Oluyede for supporting Tinubu despite their different political affiliations, describing their collaboration as being driven by a shared interest in the development, peace and progress of Ekiti.
Oluyede, who remains a PDP member, said his decision to work with Oyebanji to mobilise support for Tinubu was based on what he described as the overall interest of Ekiti State.
He said OPARHA would embark on grassroots mobilisation across the state, including house-to-house campaigns, with a target of securing 90 per cent of the votes cast in Ekiti for Tinubu.
“We are going to support President Tinubu 100 per cent. We will deliver 90 per cent of the votes in Ekiti State for Tinubu,” Oluyede said.
He added that the group would mobilise across the state’s 16 local government areas and 177 wards.
The former PDP governorship candidate said the collaboration was not an abandonment of his political identity, but an effort to work across party lines in what he described as the interest of Ekiti and Nigeria.
Oluyede had earlier withdrawn his petition challenging Oyebanji’s victory in the June 20, 2026, governorship election. The Election Petition Tribunal subsequently struck out the petition following his withdrawal. INEC had declared Oyebanji the winner with 319,224 votes, while Oluyede polled 40,543 votes.
The latest mobilisation follows Oluyede’s earlier declaration that he would work with Oyebanji and use OPARHA to pursue a 90 per cent vote target for Tinubu in Ekiti.
The development also comes after Oyebanji recently pledged intensified mobilisation for Tinubu’s re-election during a stakeholder engagement in Ekiti North Senatorial District.
Former PDP South-West Deputy Chairman Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, alongside PDP chieftains Mrs Olayemi Adesoro and Chief Johnson Adekunle, also expressed support for the collaboration, citing Oyebanji’s style of governance and performance in the state.
