Jun 19, 2026

Vote on What You Feel, Not What You Hear — APC’s Final Plea as Ekiti Heads to Polls

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

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Ado-Ekiti—With Ekiti State voters set to head to the polls on Saturday, June 20, 2026, the Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council, Senator Cyril Fasuyi, has delivered a robust defense of the incumbent administration, urging residents to trust their lived experiences over partisan rhetoric.

In a pointed remark captured by Channels Television, Fasuyi declared: “There is no opposition that can say anything good about you, no matter how decently you have subjected yourself to this political game. If you want to judge the happenings in Ekiti, it is better to go to the street to judge, not what any opposition says.”

The statement, made in the heat of the final campaign push, underscores a central theme of the APC’s re-election strategy for Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji: performance on the ground, not promises from the podium.

As the clock ticks down to election day, Fasuyi’s words reflect both confidence in the ruling party’s record and a calculated pivot away from the often acrimonious back-and-forth that has defined Nigerian politics.

Governor Oyebanji, who emerged as the APC’s consensus candidate, is seeking a second term on the strength of tangible deliverables from his first four years.

Supporters point to infrastructure gains — including roads, flyovers, schools, and healthcare facilities — alongside efforts to ensure timely payment of salaries and pensions in a state long plagued by fiscal challenges.

The campaign has set an ambitious target of at least 500,000 votes, more than double Oyebanji’s 2022 victory margin, banking on widespread satisfaction and high voter turnout.

High-profile endorsements, including from Vice President Kashim Shettima at a recent mega rally in Ado-Ekiti, have reinforced the narrative of continuity and stability.

Shettima and other national APC leaders praised the Oyebanji-Afuye ticket for balancing experience with grassroots appeal.

Fasuyi, a senator representing Ekiti North and a key party stalwart, has been instrumental in mobilizing support across senatorial districts.

His leadership of the campaign council highlights the APC’s strategy of leveraging incumbency advantages and internal unity.

Opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), have mounted campaigns centered on economic hardship, insecurity, unpaid pensions in some sectors despite federal allocations, and calls for change.

They argue that while some projects are visible, broader governance issues persist and that the electorate deserves fresh leadership.

Yet, analysts note that the race appears heavily tilted toward the incumbent, with the keenly contested three-way dynamics of 2022 seemingly absent this cycle.

Multiple candidates from over a dozen parties are on the ballot, but the APC’s organizational strength and the governor’s first-term visibility give it a clear edge.

Fasuyi’s emphasis on “the streets” taps into a classic journalistic and democratic instinct: public opinion on the ground often tells a more nuanced story than elite discourse.

In Ekiti, a state known for its educated populace and history of political awareness, everyday realities — from road conditions to school functionality and market vibrancy — will likely shape voting decisions more than campaign soundbites.

Ekiti’s governorship elections have historically been fiercely competitive, often serving as a bellwether for national political trends.

The 2022 poll saw Oyebanji’s victory mark a shift, with the PDP slipping to third place behind the SDP. This year’s contest occurs against a national backdrop of economic pressures and security concerns, making local performance metrics particularly salient.

INEC has begun distributing sensitive election materials, with observers monitoring for voter inducement and other irregularities as campaigns wind down.

Civil society groups like Yiaga Africa have called for large voter turnout to ensure competitiveness and credibility.

As a veteran journalist who has covered Nigeria’s democratic journey for decades, one cannot ignore the human dimension here. Ekiti residents — farmers, teachers, traders, and youth navigating a challenging economy — are not abstract statistics.

They will weigh visible progress against unfulfilled aspirations, personal livelihoods against partisan loyalty. Fasuyi’s challenge to “go to the street” invites precisely that sober, community-level assessment.

Whether Oyebanji breaks the second-term “jinx” that has challenged some predecessors will depend on how convincingly the APC has delivered tangible improvements. The streets, as always in a democracy, will have the final word.