An aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2026 Ekiti State gubernatorial election, Olugbenga Obafemi, has knocked the All Progressive Congress, APC, under the leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
Obafemi, who bemoaned the decline in the educational standards of the state, said it has led to Ekiti being ranked 8th in WAEC performance among the 36 states in the country, alleging that the APC has done nothing to benefit indigenes.
Addressing newsmen during a visit to his hometown in Ikole-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, where he declared his intention to run in the 2026 gubernatorial race, Obafemi promised to provide free education for indigenes of the state, from primary to tertiary institutions if elected governor
The aspirant stressed that education should be free for Ekiti residents due to the state’s abundant natural resources, including cocoa, gold, coconut, among others.
He also pledged to revitalize the agricultural sector of the state, aiming to make Ekiti the food basket of the nation, assuring that he would address the issue of insecurity with a robust security architecture.
“Ikole has been set back in many ways, just as Ekiti has been. If you look at Ekiti, we call it the ‘Fountain of Knowledge,’ yet we are ranked 8th out of the 36 states in Nigeria in WAEC performance. That’s ridiculous.
“The APC has not done enough. There’s much to be done in Ekiti. We have an airport that has been built but has not yet facilitated commercial flights. The only flights operating there are shuttle flights. The airport needs to be opened to the world. The world needs to see how Ekiti has invested its resources.
“I’m going to make a difference for Ekiti, so that when you are coming from other states, you will travel on the right roads to Ekiti. Every road that is designated as a federal road is, as far as I’m concerned, a state road because it’s our people who will use it,”;; he said.
