EKOCO Expresses Confidence In Tinubu, APC Leadership Ahead Of Ekiti Governorship Primary

The Engineer Kayode Ojo Campaign Organization (EKOCO) has expressed optimism that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will allow the will of the people to prevail in the forthcoming governorship primary election in Ekiti State.

Speaking with journalists at a media forum at the Press Centre of the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, one of the spokespersons of the campaign team, Hon. Adegoke Olajide, said such a development was crucial to deepening internal democracy within the ruling APC.

According to him, the President, the National Chairman, and the National Secretary of the party are personalities with compelling democratic credentials, hence the confidence of Party members in Ekiti State that the selection of the Party’s governorship flagbearer would be determined by a transparent process.

“President Bola Tinubu is a committed democrat and he submits to the will of the people,” Olajide said. “You would recall what happened in Lagos State during the 2019 governorship primary election. As national leader of the Party and leader of the Party in Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu allowed the will of the people to prevail. He has not changed, and we believe he will allow the will of the people of Ekiti to also prevail.”

He further described the APC National Chairman as an accomplished academic and seasoned electoral umpire who understands the essence of internal Party democracy, while he noted that the National Secretary was a distinguished legal practitioner who equally possesses an impeccable democratic pedigree.

Olajide stressed that it was important for the APC to present a candidate who enjoys overwhelming grassroots support, instead of backing the incumbent governor, whom he accused of sidelining Party members and working more with the opposition.

“Members of the APC in Ekiti have been excluded from the scheme of things. They have been ostracized and neglected,” he lamented. “What we see is that the governor, who won election in 2022 largely due to the sacrifice and mobilization of APC members, has now embraced the opposition to the detriment of the very Party that brought him to power. Little wonder that the governor’s performance is below expectation because he was mostly surrounded by opposition Party members who know nothing about the APC governance philosophy and it’s Party manifesto.”

The EKOCO spokesperson maintained that the purported endorsement of the incumbent governor was nothing more than an exercise among his supporters, which should not be mistaken for the official position of the party.

He cited the statement of the APC National Secretary at the orchestrated Endorsement Rally when he said that the Party had not adopted any governorship aspirant in Ekiti State and as such, a primary election would be conducted.

Olajide explained that Engr. Kayode Ojo’s decision to join the governorship race was borne out of his determination to reposition the Party, which he alleged had been mismanaged at the State level, and to leverage his capacity and experience for the overall development of Ekiti.

He said the governorship hopeful is widely respected within and outside the State, not only for his professional accomplishments but also for his consistency as a loyal progressive.

“Engineer Kayode Ojo is an accomplished professional and international businessman,” Olajide said. “He is also a dependable progressive who has twice offered to serve the people of Ekiti State as their Governor by contesting the APC governorship primaries in the last two election seasons.
Engr. Kayode Ojo’s experience and goodwill put him in the best position to lead Ekiti State at this present time.”

Hon. Olajide, who represented Efon Constituency in the immediate past Ekiti State House of Assembly, added that Ojo’s aspiration is about restoring the trust of party members, healing the cracks within the APC, and uniting the party ahead of the general election.

He concluded by urging the members of the APC in Ekiti State to remain steadfast because of assurance that the National leadership of the Party will uphold fairness and transparency in the Ekiti State governorship primary thereby allowing the people’s will to prevail since that would not only strengthen the party but also guarantee victory in the 2026 general election and as well provide a launch pad for the success of the 2027 re-election project of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.