But honestly, tell me! Why should Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) be the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State? Why? Yes, tell me why?
Please take your evil eyes off me. I have the right to ask that question. Even if I am not a politician, I am a citizen — and every citizen is a political being.
Aristotle said it best: “Man is by nature a political animal.” Our destinies, our daily bread, our children’s future — all are shaped by those who wield political authority. Hence, I ask not out of mischief but as a stakeholder in the fate of Ekiti.
And according to Prof. Wole Soyinka, “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.”
And Franz Fanon also reminded us that “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis.”
So, my friend, you have the right to exercise your freedom of speech, but I too have the right to respond to you — if you will be patient enough to read me or listen to me.
I do not care if you taunt me and say, “You are supporting him because you are chopping.” Well, call it chopping if you like — I call it serving.
This is because service, when grounded in integrity and purpose, is not self-interest; it is civic duty. When loyalty is rooted in conscience, it becomes a virtue, not a vice.
So my friend, before you rush to condemn, pause and ask: is consensus evil?
Is consensus an imposition?
The answer is no. Consensus is not imposition. It is not coercion. It is democracy at peace with itself.
It is the highest form of political maturity — where reason prevails over rivalry, and shared purpose replaces personal ambition.
It is the collective wisdom of a people choosing cooperation over confrontation, and unity over unnecessary competition. “Consensus,” wrote political theorist Arend Lijphart, “is the art of keeping democracy alive through agreement.”
In that spirit, the APC’s move toward a consensus around Oyebanji is not a retreat from democracy but an affirmation of its maturity and collective insight.
From its very foundation, the APC has defined itself as a party of progress and continuity. Its ideology flows from consistent purpose — to build, to reform, and to deliver dividends of governance that outlive individuals.
In Ekiti, this philosophy has been faithfully advanced from the former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration to the present. Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has not only sustained that chain; he has strengthened it.
He inherited a roadmap of development — not a blank slate — and he has followed it with fidelity and innovation. His government is the continuation of a covenant — a covenant of stability, inclusiveness, transparency, and participatory development.
From roads to schools, from agriculture to the creative economy, from youth empowerment to tourism, every policy of this administration aligns with the APC’s progressive mission for Ekiti. “True leadership,” says John Maxwell, “is not starting new fires but keeping the flame of vision alive.”
Oyebanji has kept that flame burning — calmly, steadily, faithfully. The APC in Ekiti is not broken; it is focused. Its members are not fighting; they are consolidating. That is why consensus makes sense. At this stage, primaries would not strengthen the party — they would only strain it.
Consensus preserves unity, safeguards peace, and reinforces the party’s moral strength before the electorate. For a performing governor to be reaffirmed through consensus is not undemocratic — it is political efficiency rooted in gratitude and good sense. It says to the world: “We recognize good work, and we choose to continue it.”
Governor Oyebanji governs with a heart open to all. His leadership is not about domination but consultation. He listens to the elders, empowers the youths, elevates women, and respects every stakeholder. He embodies what the Yoruba describe as “oju rere, ọwọ rere, inu rere” — good mind, good hand, good heart.
Under him, the APC has become a family, not a faction; a platform of peace, not of personal egos. He has made politics in Ekiti less toxic and governance more inclusive. “Leadership,” wrote Peter Drucker, “is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights.” That is what Oyebanji has done — lifting Ekiti’s vision from survival to sustainability, from rhetoric to results.
Continuity is not stagnation; it is strategic advancement. It is the wisdom to sustain a good path rather than derail progress with unnecessary experiments. A consensus victory for Oyebanji is thus a double gain — for the party and the state. For the APC, it means harmony, strength, and collective purpose. For Ekiti, it means sustained growth, completed projects, deepened reforms, and uninterrupted peace.
The governor has turned governance into a rhythm of stability — a rare achievement in Nigeria’s volatile political climate. “If it is not broken, don’t fix it,” says the old maxim. Ekiti under Oyebanji is not broken. It is blossoming.
So, why should Oyebanji be the APC consensus candidate in Ekiti?
Because consensus is not weakness — it is wisdom.
Because continuity is not convenience — it is conviction.
Because unity is not silence — it is strategic strength.
And because Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji stands today as the living evidence that peace, accountability, and progress can thrive together under one leadership.
“The future belongs to those who build bridges, not walls.” Governor Oyebanji is that bridge — between past and future, between politics and progress, between the Ekiti of promise and the Ekiti of prosperity.
That is why — with reason, gratitude, and conviction — he deserves to be the APC consensus candidate for Ekiti State.
It is in this spirit and conviction that all of us should come out on Monday, 27 October 2025, to affirm the consensus candidacy of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji and make 4 + 4 = 8 not just a political slogan but a living reality.
Hiokun ooo!
BAO ni join!
BAO ni jare!
God bless Ekiti State,
God bless the APC,
And God bless Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji.
Signed
Wale Ojo-Lanre Esq
Director General Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development.
