Ekiti guber: PDP not dead, ready to challenge APC — Oluyede

Ahead of the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant, Dr. Wole Oluyede, has dismissed insinuations that the party is dead, saying the PDP will bounce back and secure victory at the poll.

He explained that the people of the state have trust and confidence in the PDP and in his ambition, declaring that the party would defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s governorship election.

The aspirant stated this when he was received by party members and stakeholders after declaring his ambition in his ward at Ikere-Ekiti, headquarters of Ikere Local Government Area of the state.

Oluyede, who expressed concern over the hardship being experienced by the people, noted that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the last three years has failed the people across all sectors of the economy.

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According to him, “The PDP in Ekiti is alive and ready to challenge any political force and claim victory in the 2026 governorship poll. Whoever is saying the PDP is dead is out of touch with reality. As you can see, the people have made their choice, and that choice is Oluyede and the PDP.

“Oyebanji has tried, but we’ll send him back to Ikogosi. I’ve always said one thing: the only reason Wole Oluyede will run for office in Ekiti is because nothing works. Can anybody truly say their lives are better today than they were four years ago? I don’t know anybody who can say that.

“Four years ago, the roads were better, people were happier, and their lives were better. But what have we had? Four wasted years. That is the only reason I’m running — to make life better for our people.

“This is my homestead. The first time I came here was in 1970, when I was about seven years old. Sadly, I can’t see any real change since then. Nobody has even changed their rooftops. That is how bad it is.

“There’s no running water, no tarred roads, houses are collapsing. Is that what we call growth? Is that a sign of progress? That is why I am running, and I will keep running until things get better.”*

When asked about the implications of the waves of defections from the PDP to other political parties, the medical doctor said: “Political parties are free entry and free exit. If you disagree, you leave. Our party in Ekiti has no problem. The people who left the PDP are those who couldn’t find their footing. They are very few, and we know them. It doesn’t shake the foundation of the PDP.

“I hereby declare my intention to run. The PDP’s presence in Ekiti is clear — the deaf can hear, the blind can see. We’ll get to Oke-Ayaba in 2026. Ikere is ready to take its rightful place in Ekiti politics.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE