By Morenike Oluwatoyin
Yomi Ayorinde, Member of Ekiti House of Assembly-elect (APC – Ido-Osi II), has congratulated Gov Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti on his victory at the Supreme in the case filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship candidate, Mr Segun Oni, challenging his victory in the June 18, 2022 governorship election.
Ayorinde, in his congratulatory message made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, on Thursday, said that the people of Ekiti deserve an intelligent man like Oyebanji as their Governor.
In the message, he said, “I heartily congratulate my leader and Governor, Biodun Oyebanji on his victory at the Supreme Court.
“He is one of the most intelligent and eloquent leaders in Nigeria today; he is a technocrat that is humble, large hearted, friendly, gentle, patriotic, dogged and distinguished.
“The people of Ekiti State surely deserve a highly competent man like him as our Governor, especially with the very apt slogan as ‘the fountain of knowledge’ in Nigeria. Ekiti people do not deserve anything less.
“I urge the people to support the good man God has bestowed on us as a leader that is very determined to selflessly transform Ekiti State for the benefit of the citizens.
“I also congratulate stakeholders and other supporters in the APC and our party leaders on this victory that toughens our abiding commitment to the recovery and progress of Ekiti for the benefit of all residents.”
Oyebanji contested the poll on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and was declared the winner of the election after winning in 15 of the 16 local government areas of the state.
He got 187,057 votes to defeat Oni, who had 82,211 votes and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 67,457 votes.
Oni, however rejected the outcome of the election, and filed a petition against Oyebanji and the APC before the election tribunal.
He claimed that Oyebanji’s election was marred by irregularities and that it was wrong for the Mai Mala Buni-led APC leadership to have supervised the primary election that produced Oyebanji as the governorship candidate. But the Supreme Court on Thursday, March 6, dismissed Oni’s petition.