Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on Monday dismissed a report claiming he, alongside some leaders and office holders in the state, were being led to the African Democratic Congress by the immediate past Governor of the State, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Oyebanji, who described the report as false and misleading, described it as “Nothing but another tissue of lies from the camp of some disgruntled elements in the state. But, keeping quiet in the midst of such a bare-faced falsehood would amount to a disservice to the good people of the state, some of whom could be hoodwinked into believing the misleading report”.
The governor spoke in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode.
Oyebode stated, “For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Oyebanji and the public office holders mentioned in the report, remain firmly rooted in the All Progressives Congress and have no link, nor do they have any plan whatsoever to join the ADC.
“While Dr Fayemi and other leaders of the party mentioned in the report are eminently qualified to defend themselves, it is on record that Dr Fayemi attended the recent APC Caucus meeting held in Iyin-Ekiti, where the caucus endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Oyebanji for a second term, a decision that was widely published in the print, broadcast and online media.
“It should also be noted that Governor Oyebanji had, since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999, remained in the progressive fold. He is one of the very few who has never moved out of the progressive movement in Ekiti State.
“We are aware of a deliberate attempt by some mischief makers to weaponise Governor Oyebanji’s association with Dr Fayemi in a bid to cause a rift between the Governor and President Tinubu. Unfortunately for these jesters, Mr President is a strategic politician who can see through their shenanigans and hidden agenda.”
He added, “Ekiti people are urged to disregard this childish media attack, which is being sponsored by some desperate politicians interested in contesting the governorship election in the state.
“While these desperate politicians have no clue about how to market their candidature to the Ekiti electorate or connect with the people, they have resorted to attacking the government on social media and heaping up every imaginable and unintelligent lies against the governor in order to mask their frustrations.
“Now that the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the date for the primary election, we expect them to be bold enough to come out and sell their candidature to party members and Ekitikete rather than seeking an ignoble way to gatecrash.”