President Bola Tinubu has appealed to voters in Ekiti State to give him at least 90 per cent of the votes in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, as he seeks re-election for a second term.
Tinubu, who was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the appeal on Thursday during an All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally at the Ekitiparapo Pavilion in Ado-Ekiti.
He urged residents to support his administration for another four years, while questioning the political relevance and leadership credentials of his opponents.
The President’s appeal came as Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, and other APC leaders declared their support for his re-election, insisting that his administration had delivered significant development projects and federal appointments to the state.
Speaking at the rally, Tinubu commended Ekiti voters for re-electing Oyebanji in the June 20 governorship election, where the governor reportedly secured 87.5 per cent of the total votes cast.
He said the outcome demonstrated the state’s support for the APC and praised Oyebanji for bringing political leaders, including former opposition figures, together after the election.
The President also highlighted what he described as his administration’s achievements in Ekiti over the past three years, including road construction, federal appointments and educational development.
He listed the completion of the Ado-Ikere-Akure Road and the award of contracts for the reconstruction of the Ado-Ijan-Iluomoba-Ikole Road and Ado-Aramoko-Ita Ore Road.
Tinubu also cited the establishment of a federal university in Iyin-Ekiti as part of efforts to expand access to higher education and create opportunities for young people.
He added that students of Ekiti State University and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology were benefiting from the student loan scheme introduced by his administration.
Seeking another mandate, the President said: “I plead with you, let us give our president another chance to do more and make Nigeria a great nation.
“Look at all your leaders, former Governor Niyi Adebayo, former Governor Ayodele Fayose, former Governor Segun Oni and former Governor Kayode Fayemi, they have all aligned with the aspiration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We appreciate you for this solidarity.”
He also criticised the political standing of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, questioning his level of support among former governors and political leaders in Adamawa State.
Tinubu cited former governors Boni Haruna, Bala Ngilari, Murtala Nyako and Bindow Jibrilla, alongside incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, as examples in his argument about political influence within one’s home state.
“If you can’t control your own state, if you are not relevant in your state, how do you now become relevant elsewhere? Politics is a game of numbers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Oyebanji assured the APC leadership that Ekiti would increase the number of votes delivered to Tinubu in 2027, promising that the President would receive at least 90 per cent of the votes cast in the state.
The governor, who was accompanied by former governors and opposition figures, said Tinubu had not disappointed the people of Ekiti in terms of federal presence and infrastructure development.
He also led the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the last election, Dr Wole Oluyede, and other opposition politicians to address the gathering.
Oyebanji said the APC’s reported 87.5 per cent victory in the governorship election reflected the confidence residents had in the party and the President.
“President Tinubu has no problem in Ekiti. We are united behind him. We are going to double the tally of votes we got here in the last election to him,” he said.
He added that the state would support Tinubu’s re-election in appreciation of the Federal Government’s infrastructure projects and interventions for women and young people.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, urged Ekiti voters to deliver at least 900,000 votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Yari also assured the President of continued support from northern political leaders, saying the region had not forgotten Tinubu’s past political support for former President Muhammadu Buhari and other prominent northern politicians.
He praised the administration’s economic policies, claiming that the prices of food commodities, including rice, sorghum, millet and maize, had reduced significantly.
According to him, retaining Tinubu in office for another four years would enable him to pursue his proposed restructuring programmes.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and the Ekiti State APC Chairman, Sola Elesin, also commended residents for their support for the party, urging them to sustain their backing ahead of the presidential election.
The rally attracted a large gathering of APC members, supporters and opposition politicians, with the 12,000-capacity Ekitiparapo Pavilion reportedly filled to capacity.
Among the dignitaries present were Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Ibijoke; Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa; and former Ekiti governors Kayode Fayemi, Ayodele Fayose and Niyi Adebayo.
Others included Ekiti State Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye, Speaker of the State House of Assembly Adeoye Aribasoye, Senators Yemi Adaramodu and Cyril Fasuyi, members of the House of Representatives, ministers, commissioners, party officials and other political stakeholders.
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