Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, the newly elected governor of Ekiti State, vowed on Wednesday to keep his word and fully carry out all of his campaign promises in order to avoid disappointing the electorate that gave him their support last Saturday.
Shortly after receiving their certificates of return as the Governor-elect and deputy Governor-elect, from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyebanji made the vow in Ado Ekiti.
The event was attended by the Ekiti State First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Funminiyi Afuye, the wife of the Governor-elect, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, the husband of the Deputy Governor-elect, Mr Afuye; former Deputy Governor Surveyor Abiodun Aluko, the Ekiti APC Chairman, Barr Paul Omotosho, and party leaders.
At the brief but colorful celebration, Mr Fatoba Oluwole, who won the bye-election to fill the vacant Sliti East Constituency 1 seat in the State House of Assembly, was also given with his Certificate of Return by the newly elected.
In accordance with provisions of section 72(1) of the new electoral act, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Ekiti, Oyo, and Lagos States, Mr Sam Olumekun, gave the certificates to them at the commission’s office in Ado Ekiti.
Mr. Oyebanji promised to do his best to carry out the six-point agenda outlined in his manifesto, which he first announced at the beginning of his campaign.
As evidence of the governor Kayode Fayemi administration’s excellent performance, he continued, the victory granted to him by the electorate of Ekiti was verified by the large number of votes freely cast for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election on Saturday.
He praised President Muhammadu Buhari for giving every candidate an equal opportunity to compete fairly and gauge public support and acceptance before the poll.
Mr Oyebanji also praised INEC for a job well done, calling the implementation of the BIMODAL Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) a “game changer” that made the process seamless, fair, and transparent.
He praised security agencies and other security players for being aware of their obligations before, during, and after the election, which resulted in the election being conducted peacefully.
He said, “Ekiti Kete we thank you all for investing your trust in us, in our party, what is happening today is historic in Ekiti State, this is the first time that the Government will be succeeding itself and I make bold to say that this is made possible by the sterling performance of Governor Kayode Fayemi because June 18 was a referendum on Governor Kayode Fayemi as governor of this state and Ekiti State came out and validated the fact that he has done so well.
“I will do my possible best to ensure that we don’t disappoint you, we have a six point agenda which is a blend of what we are doing now and our ambition and we will remain faithful in its implementation.”
Earlier, the state’s resident electoral commissioner (REC), Dr. Adeniran Tella, stated that the commission’s commitment to strengthening electoral processes and further solidifying democracy in the nation was renewed by the addition of new technology and other features to the Ekiti governorship election, which enhances its credibility.
Dr. Tella promised that the commission will keep building on its successes and refrain from engaging in actions that might jeopardize its standards while seeking the support of those involved in the election process.
In his remarks, Mr. Olumekun also gave the assurance that the commission would pay special attention to new difficulties and outline lessons learned from the management of the Ekiti Governorship election in order to improve service.
He stated that the commission was able to overcome all of the challenges that arose during the Ekiti election preparations in order to hold a credible, free, and fair election last Saturday.