The winner of the Thursday’s APC Governorship Primary Election in Ekiti state, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed happiness on the outcome of the poll.
He described the election as a victory for all, while promising to work with other aspirants.
The statement reads in part:
“I must start by thanking the Almighty God for His grace that saw us through a keenly contested primary election to determine the standard bearer for our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the Saturday, June 18, 2022 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State.
I am grateful to God and to all stakeholders for ensuring that the proceedings went well, and we have arrived at a collective decision.
This decision you have made – to give me the honour of bearing the flag of our party as your gubernatorial candidate is one that I do not take lightly at all. I am truly thankful for this privilege of being chosen from amongst equally qualified aspirants who led very rigorous campaigns across the State.
I thank you all my fathers, my mothers, my brothers, and my sisters; from across all the wards in Ekiti State for this privilege.
I consider this a win for us all, and a win for participatory democracy, especially, because all party members were given the opportunity to speak with their votes on account of the modified Open secret Ballot System (Option A4), also known as Direct Primaries that was adopted.
I submit to the voice of the people, and I submit to the voice of God who rules in the affairs of people – for there is no power but of God, and powers that be are ordained of God. I humbly accept the confidence you have reposed in me to bear our collective mandate.
To my fellow aspirants, all of you worthy Ekiti sons, I salute your courage of conviction and your passion for the upliftment of our dear State.
Your participation in the process has served to strengthen our party, through the mobilisation of many voices. During contests such as this, tensions are understandably high, and tempers rise in all quarters.
This is all normal in the course of democratic expression. I hereby promise my fellow aspirants that together, we will work towards victory and a bright future for our people.
I will be reaching out personally to seek audience with everyone of you in the coming days.
I want to listen to you, so that together we can fit in our respective parts of the big picture and run a wholesome campaign that connects with the hearts and minds of our people. According to the popular Yoruba proverb – agbajo owo la fi ns’oya, ajoji owo kan ko gberu d’ori, and the popular maxim “together, we are greater than the sum of our individual parts” – without a doubt the undertaking ahead of us must be a collective one, and we need everybody. I therefore humbly ask for your support as we begin the task of campaigning for the Saturday, June 18, 2022 general election.
We have a huge mission ahead of us to retain the governance of our dear state under our great party, and to ensure the continuity of our progressive programmes and policies as established by our leaders.
I thank our leaders, H.E. Otunba Niyi Adebayo, CON, Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, and former Governor of Ekiti State; H.E. Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON, Governor of Ekiti State, and H.E. Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, for their leadership, and for laying a foundation for us to build upon. I also thank H.E. Erelu Bisi Fayemi, First Lady of Ekiti State for her support for our great party, and her tireless contributions towards the common good of the people of Ekiti State.
I thank the Barrister Paul Omotosho-led State Executive Committee of our great party, and all our leaders across the State. I thank our youth groups, our women groups, and all the support groups that have worked together to make today a reality.
I also thank our National Executive Committee, and all members of the Ekiti APC Governorship Primaries committee for implementing a free and fair primary election. My gratitude also goes to our security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for superintending over a free and fair exercise and maintaining the peace in the state.
I would also like to thank people of different faiths in the State who took it upon themselves to devote themselves to prayers and fasting for us to have a peaceful exercise and a successful outcome.
I am most grateful to you all, and count on your sustained support in the months ahead.
I thank my campaign team, our volunteers, and supporters at home and abroad, for their forbearance and honourable conduct during campaigns. As I have always admonished, both in our physical and virtual engagements, our campaigns must be devoid of vitriol and violence and reflect who we are – honourable and peaceful, patriots who want to serve.
To political teams on all sides, I say please forgive all slights both real and imagined and let us all move forward as one.
We shall continue to sell our candidacy based on our track record of Competence, Compassion, and Character, as well as our vision for moving Ekiti State forward.
The Electoral committee chairman of the All Progressives Congress Alhaji Badaru Abubakar has declared the former Secretary to the Ekiti state government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji as the winner of the primary Election in the state.
To the ladies and gentlemen of the press, I thank you for your sustained support and for being fair in the discharge of your duties to provide coverage for the exercise. My charge to you as we go into campaigns towards the general election, is to uphold the timeless ethos of the profession and eschew the temptation to shape conversations about the elections in a way that would cause divisions and affect the peace and stability of our State.
To the people of Ekiti State, I look forward to engaging with you as we shortly commence our campaigns.
I, your son, and brother, Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji will be meeting you all in your respective towns and villages.
We will run an issues-based campaign that would not only solicit your votes, but also secure your input into our development agenda for the future of Ekiti State.
I trust that as you have always given me your love and support, I can count on you even till the very end to secure your mandate to take Ekiti to the next level.
Finally, I thank my family. I thank my father Pa Ezekiel Kunle Oyebanji and my siblings for contributing to the person I have become.
I fondly remember my mother, Madam Esther Oyebanji of blessed memory – Maami, the sweet memory of your love for me, and all you taught me remains a source of inspiration and a light to my path.
I thank my children for their understanding and support; and I thank my wife for being an unwavering pillar of strength on our life journey together so far, and for being understanding as our otherwise quiet lives have been altered.
Thank you Olayemi, I love you and will forever cherish your love and support.
Thank you all for listening. God bless the All Progressives Congress (APC)! God bless Ekiti State!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) Gubernatorial Candidate, APC, Ekiti State
