Renewed Vigour, Renewed Mandate: BAO 2.0 Set For Second Term Of Service.
By Mary Oso-Omotoso
History will be made in Ado-Ekiti on October 16, 2026, when Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) mounts the podium for a second oath of office.
For a state created in 1996 and known for its unpredictable political tides for 30 years, it will be a first. No incumbent governor in Ekiti State has ever won re-election to serve two consecutive terms. That long-standing jinx was broken on June 21 when Biodun Oyebanji, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, swept the polls in a victory that was as emphatic as it was historic.
Announcing the result at the State Collation Centre in Ado-Ekiti, the Returning Officer, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, declared that Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rival, Dr. Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 40,533 votes.
It was a clean sweep. The governor won in all 16 local government areas of the state and 177 wards ,a feat that political analysts have described as a unanimous vote of confidence. The figures, however, only tell half the story. The real story of Oyebanji’s first term has been inclusivity.
In four years, the soft-spoken but strategic governor has run what many call a government without borders. His administration deliberately blurred party lines, brought former opponents and critical stakeholders into the development conversation and insisted that Ekiti’s progress must be bigger than partisan divides.
From the cabinet to the boards and commissions, he opened the space for youths, women and persons living with disabilities in a manner not previously seen.
Traditional rulers, artisans, market women, labour unions, students, farmers and the Ekiti diaspora have all had a seat at the table.
Projects, too, have been spread with equity, from roads linking farmsteads to markets in the rural areas to urban renewal in Ado-Ekiti. No community has been tagged as opposition and no local government left to wonder whether it belongs.
That Omoluabi character shaped his acceptance speech: “There are no winners or losers today; there is only one united Ekiti determined to continue its journey of upward mobility,” Oyebanji said, noting that securing 85 per cent of the valid votes cast was a humbling vote of confidence.
“From our urban centres to our most remote communities, you have spoken with one thunderous voice for continuous development, stability and a future of endless opportunities.” BAO had echoed shortly after his mandate was renewed
As preparations heighten for the inauguration at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion, the signal from the Government House is clear. The second term will not be a restart but a consolidation of his six-pillar agenda.
The focus will be deeper penetration of governance to every household, more jobs for youths through industrial clusters and the knowledge economy, more support for agriculture, stronger human capital development and infrastructure that connects people to prosperity.
In every indication, Ekitikete took a historic decision in June. On October 16, their governor will take a historic oath to repay that trust with renewed vigour and renewed service.
Mary Oso Omotosho is the DG, Office of Community Communications.
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