Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has said he has the divine mandate to break the second-term jinx that has prevented his predecessors from serving two unbroken terms in office.
The 57-year-old made the statement on Wednesday at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja after submitting his nomination and expression of interest forms ahead of the October 27 party primary.
The governor, who was accompanied by former governor Niyi Adebayo, members of the state executive council, lawmakers, traditional rulers, market and students’ leaders, urged the party leadership to support him in ending what he called a barrier to development in Ekiti.
He said, “We have come here to plead with you (the party leadership) that the only thing that is standing against Ekiti people and development is this come-and-go attitude of governors. You know, it’s not in our best interest as a people. And by the same grace of God, I have a divine mandate to break that jinx. And that jinx will be broken because God sent us for this purpose.
Oyebanji argued that lack of continuity in government had affected development in the state, adding that the trend of governors failing to complete two consecutive terms needed to end.
“Since the creation of Ekiti State, no government has done a second term. No government in Ekiti State has done a second term in a stretch. You know, they will go. They will come back. And this has hit us to the canvas. It has retarded the development of the state.”
On behalf of the APC national working committee, national vice chairman (South West) Isaacs Kekemeke said the party would consider the governor’s request.
“We are umpires, we will do what you say. This is the groundwork for what we need to do by June of next year. We must demonstrate by next year that Ekiti is one,” he said.
Also speaking, Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele said federal and state lawmakers were backing Oyebanji’s second-term ambition.
“Three senators and six House of Representatives members. All of us are filing behind Gov BAO because we are convinced that it’s the right thing to do. All the 26 members of the state assembly are here, led by their speaker. All our local government chairmen are here elected, as well as party chairmen. These are the delegates that will vote at the primary,” he said.
Since its creation in 1996, no Ekiti governor has served two consecutive terms.
Former governors Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose, Kayode Fayemi and now Oyebanji all had interrupted tenures, with Fayose and Fayemi each returning to office after losing power earlier.
