KAYODE Fayemi, the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State and former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has congratulated Governor Biodun Oyebanji on his re-election as Governor of Ekiti State, describing the victory as a clear endorsement of his administration’s performance by the people of the state.
In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday by the Fayemi Media Office, Fayemi said the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election, in which Governor Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) swept all sixteen Local Government Areas of the state, was a resounding vote of confidence that reflected the high regard in which Ekiti people hold his leadership.
“I join other well-meaning Ekiti citizens and friends of our dear state in congratulating Governor Biodun Oyebanji on his decisive re-election. This victory is a powerful statement by our people that they recognise and appreciate purposeful governance.
‘’I commend the people of Ekiti for coming out, once again, to exercise their civic responsibility peacefully,” Fayemi said.
The former governor commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for the largely peaceful conduct of the election, and urged the governor not to relent in the task of consolidating the gains already recorded in his first term, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture and human capital development.
Fayemi also extended a hand of fellowship to the candidates who contested the election, including those of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political parties, urging them to see the outcome of the election as the verdict of the people.
“Elections are contests, not wars. I urge the other candidates who contested this election to take the lessons from it in good faith and join hands with Governor Oyebanji in the task of building our state.
‘’Ekiti is bigger than any one of us, and it is only by working together, across party lines, that we can give our people the development they deserve and which they have consistently asked for at the polls,” he stated.
He further called on all Ekiti people, irrespective of political affiliation, ethnic or religious leaning, to rally round Governor Oyebanji and support his administration in the new term, stressing that the unity and cooperation of the people remain indispensable to the state’s progress.
“Our state has always thrived when we set aside our political differences and worked together for the common good. I therefore call on all Ekiti sons and daughters, at home and in the diaspora, to continue to support Governor Oyebanji and his administration as he begins this new term, so that together we can sustain the legacy of good governance that our people have come to expect of Ekiti Kete,” Fayemi added.
