- By Tunji Saliu
After a well-attended flag-off in Ado-Ekiti, the Biodun Oyebanji Campaign Council has moved from the podium to the people. Starting Monday, May 4, 2026, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji will take his re-election message directly to all the 16 Local Government Areas of Ekiti State.
This is not a ceremonial roadshow. It is a calculated, people-first engagement designed to meet citizens where they live, work, and vote.
Unlike conventional campaigns that rely on state capital rallies and media soundbites, the BAO LGA tour is structured as a grassroots dialogue. The schedule spans two weeks, covering Ikole, Oye, Ilejemeje, Moba, Ido/Osi, Ekiti East, Gbonyin, Emure, Ise/Orun, Ikere, Ijero, Efon, Ekiti West, Ekiti South West, Irepodun/Ifelodun, and Ado.
Each stop will be a working session. Party faithful, market leaders, artisans, youth groups, and community stakeholders will have direct access to the governor and his team. The goal is simple: listen, report back on promises kept, and lay out the next phase of development.
*1. Performance Accountability at the Local Level*
Ekiti people have seen roads commissioned, classrooms renovated, Hospitals and health centers upgraded, human capital development, prioritisation of workers welfare and farmers supported, just to mention, but a few. The LGA tour puts those achievements in context. It gives citizens the chance to weigh results against rhetoric. When a governor can stand in a community and say, “Here is what we did for you,” the conversation shifts from speculation to evidence.
*2. Policy Feedback for Phase Two*
A first term is about laying foundations. A second term is about scaling impact. By engaging citizens ward by ward, the administration can capture local priorities that may not appear in state-level data. From feeder road requests to cooperative funding needs, the tour will produce a live policy map for 2026-2030.
*3. Unity and Political Cohesion*
Ekiti politics has always been community-driven. By visiting every LGA, the campaign reinforces one message: no community is too small, no voter is too remote. The approved branded ankara and controlled entourage further signal order and discipline, preventing the chaos that often distracts from issues.
*4. Peaceful, Issue-Based Politics*
The Campaign Council has made it clear: this campaign will focus on performance, development strides, and a vision for the future. No personal attacks. No political disparagement. In a season where other camps are chasing headlines with courtroom theatrics, the Oyebanji camp is choosing to sell work done and work planned. That approach appeals to Ekiti’s tradition of decorum and self-respect.
*What Ekiti Stands to Gain*
*For the Voter:* Clarity. Citizens will hear firsthand what has been achieved in their LGA and what is coming next. That clarity reduces apathy and strengthens informed voting.
*For Governance:* Feedback loops. Local concerns collected on the tour will shape budgets, project sequencing, and ministry priorities. Governance becomes responsive, not reactive.
*For the Party:* Mobilization with structure. By limiting participation to approved officials and stakeholders within each LGA, the campaign avoids overcrowding and keeps energy focused. It’s mobilization with purpose, not pageantry.
*For Ekiti’s Trajectory:* Continuity with refinement. The tour is a bridge between BAO’s first-term record and his second-term agenda. If the first term was about fixing systems, the second is about multiplying results.
The Ekiti’s June 20 election is not about slogans. It is about who can point to schools built, hospitals upgraded, salaries paid, roads constructed, and businesses supported.
The LGA tour is Governor Oyebanji’s answer to that question, delivered face-to-face, community by community. While others argue in press statements, the governor will be in markets, town halls, and palaces, letting his record do the talking.
On June 20, Ekiti will decide whether to continue with a proven, people-oriented approach or return to uncertainty. The grassroots campaign makes that choice easier.
Ekiti is not for experiments.
Ekiti is for results.
