As the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State draws near, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) faces one of its most complex internal battles since the state’s creation. What began as a routine succession plan in 2022 has now evolved into a tense power triangle involving Governor Biodun Oyebanji, Engineer Kayode Ojo, and former Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
In 2022, when Dr. Fayemi prepared to exit office after his second term, he anointed his long-time ally, Biodun Oyebanji, as the APC’s flagbearer. Ojo, a billionaire engineer and businessman, contested that primary against Oyebanji, alleging manipulation and state-backed interference. The poll delivered Oyebanji’s victory and marked the beginning of open hostility between Ojo and Fayemi.
Since then, the once cordial relationship between the two Kayodes has soured. Political observers in Ekiti describe them as sworn enemies who “do not see eye to eye,” with deep resentment lingering in both camps. While Ojo’s supporters blame Fayemi for “selling out” the 2022 primary, Fayemi’s loyalists accuse Ojo of betrayal and disloyalty to the party hierarchy.
Governor Oyebanji now stands at the centre of this rift. Having benefited from Fayemi’s backing in 2022, he faces renewed scrutiny over performance and loyalty as he seeks a second term. Within Ekiti, Oyebanji is criticised for what citizens perceive as a lacklustre record poor infrastructure, rising poverty, and weak delivery of basic amenities despite improved federal allocation and internally generated revenue.
Disillusionment among APC faithful is palpable. Many ward leaders claim they have been abandoned, alleging that Oyebanji has handed plum appointments to political outsiders while neglecting those who worked for his victory. Verified APC membership reportedly fell from 186,000 to 114,000 an ominous sign for a party once dominant in the state.
Ojo’s Rising Challenge and the Clampdown Allegations
Against this backdrop, Ojo has re-emerged as a rallying point for aggrieved members. He has accused the governor of intimidating his supporters ahead of the October 27 APC primary, citing arrests, harassment, and politically motivated detentions across several communities.
His campaign chairman, Olukayode Oluyemo, decried “coordinated attacks” and warned of “state-sponsored thuggery” meant to frustrate Ojo’s 177-ward tour. But Oyebanji’s aides dismissed the claims as “lies from the pit of hell,” describing Ojo as a desperate aspirant seeking sympathy.
The drama peaked when the APC National Working Committee disqualified Ojo on October 17, 2025 citing irregular filings clearing only Governor Oyebanji and Mrs. Atinuke Oluremi Omolayo. Days later, Omolayo withdrew, leaving Oyebanji as the consensus candidate. The party duly notified INEC of its decision to switch from direct primaries to consensus selection, effectively sealing Oyebanji’s ticket.
Ojo’s camp calls this “a political coup.” They insist the disqualification was orchestrated by Oyebanji’s allies in Abuja, including Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (MOB), to silence internal opposition.
MOB, the “Power Broker” — and the Alleged Presidential Deception
Insiders within the APC stated that Opeyemi Bamidele has become the most influential figure in shaping the Ekiti APC’s power calculus acting as the link between Oyebanji and the Presidency. According to multiple party sources, Bamidele allegedly convinced President Bola Tinubu that Ojo’s governorship ambition is being secretly funded by former Governor Fayemi, an accusation Ojo’s camp describes as “a calculated lie to destroy his credibility in Abuja.”
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“MOB lied to the President that Dr. Fayemi is sponsoring Ojo. That’s completely false. He has no financial or political dealings with Fayemi. This is pure mischief meant to blackmail him and justify the illegal consensus they are forcing on the party.”
Analysts say this allegation exposes the depth of paranoia within the Ekiti APC establishment, where loyalty to Tinubu has become the ultimate political currency. By framing Ojo as a Fayemi-backed insurgent, Bamidele and Oyebanji’s strategists are said to be securing their standing with the Presidency painting any dissent as rebellion against Tinubu’s leadership.
However, this strategy appears to be backfiring. Several Abuja-based party elders privately questioned why a competitive primary should be suppressed in a state once hailed for democratic vibrancy. “The President was misinformed,” said one northern APC chieftain familiar with the matter. “What is happening in Ekiti is not loyalty it’s fear disguised as strategy.”
The Tinubu Equation
The high-stakes drama in Ekiti carries national undertones. President Bola Tinubu, the APC’s supreme leader, must weigh loyalty to an incumbent governor against the risk of alienating a restless base. Some party strategists fear that reinforcing a weak candidate could hurt Tinubu’s 2027 presidential showing in Ekiti and across the Southwest a sentiment amplified by social critic Isaac Fayose, who warned that “Tinubu will lose Ekiti 2027 if he reinforces failure.”
Fayemi, for his part, remains politically quiet but is said to be struggling to regain the Presidency’s trust after contesting against Tinubu during the 2022 APC presidential primaries. Ironically, Ojo once Fayemi’s adversary is now being accused of secretly working for him, a claim that underscores how tangled Ekiti politics has become.
Performance and Perception
Oyebanji’s allies highlight his achievements: connecting isolated communities to power, advancing the Ekiti Knowledge Zone project, supporting MSMEs and women entrepreneurs, and maintaining fiscal discipline. Yet critics insist these gains are overshadowed by the worsening condition of state roads, underfunded schools, and healthcare challenges.
Ojo, meanwhile, has built momentum with a technocratic vision for the next decade emphasising infrastructure, agriculture, technology, and education. His blueprint includes a Lagos-Ekiti expressway, agro-industrial parks, digital classrooms, a “Knowledge and Innovation Corridor,” and upgraded hospitals. Supporters call it a “10-year master plan for prosperity,” while detractors dismiss it as utopian.
The APC at a Crossroads
The APC’s choice to anoint Oyebanji as consensus candidate may bring short-term calm but long-term peril. The move has deepened internal grievances, with whispers of possible defections if the national leadership refuses reconciliation. Ojo’s loyalists have hinted at exploring alternative platforms such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC), echoing Ekiti’s tradition of political realignment.
The opposition PDP remains fragmented but could benefit from an APC implosion. For now, however, the fiercest battle is within the ruling party itself.
Ekiti’s Political Future
With months to the 2026 election, Ekiti stands at another turning point. The central question is whether the APC can balance continuity with credibility or whether discontent will open space for a new political force.
In the words of a university lecturer in Ado-Ekiti: “People are tired of politics as usual. They want roads that work, schools that teach, and hospitals that heal. Whoever provides that Oyebanji or Ojo will win Ekiti.”
But as history shows, Ekiti voters are unpredictable and fiercely independent. The coming months will test not only the resilience of the APC but the democratic conscience of a state long known for its principled defiance.
