Governor Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has expressed his willingness to be neutral in the coming local government election in Ekiti State.
Governor Oyebanji who stated this during a Town Hall Meeting with stakeholders in Ido Ekiti, Ekiti North Senatorial District area of the state, in preparation for the 2024 budget, noted that he would not impose any candidate on the people in the December LG election in the state, promising to be fair to all contestants.
“I will be fair to all of you. I am a process person, so nobody should put me under pressure because the party has been handed into the hands of the leaders. They are the owners of the party, so all of you, particularly the contestants, must cooperate with them. I am not going to impose on anybody.
“Many of you are now scrambling for council positions because you now consider it juicier, even than commissionership.
“Whoever doesn’t respect the leaders of the party will mismanage the councils if elected. I have instructed the leaders to take charge. Those running from pillar to post, I wish them well, but I am with the party,” he said.
Governor Oyebanji who also responded to the demands made by the representatives of each council area, said he promised during the electioneering that his government would be inclusive and a model of the immediate past administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi, which believed firmly in the people as the powerhouse of any administration.
“I am going to deliver everything I promised the Ekiti people. I am not going to be distracted. I have my plans and I will follow them to the letter. You are my employer and I owe it a duty to always come and feed you back,” he added.
However, in preparation for the 2024 Appropriation Bill, Oyebanji said his government will be strategic in the execution of projects, noting that whatever is undertaken will be based on collective requests from communities and local governments.