Fayemi meets Ekiti APC stakeholders, reiterates resolve for party’s growth

Contrary to the rumoured defection reports, a former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, at the weekend engaged critical stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, reiterating his resolve for the party’s cohesion and growth.

At the meeting, the Nigerian Tribune observed that the former governor engaged separately with the party’s Elders Forum, elected local government officials, former councillors, and other grassroots stakeholders of the APC at his country home in Isan-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of the state.

Fayemi explained that the engagement was necessary for the party to be united and work in unison towards achieving victory in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

The former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum appealed to the party members to remain committed to the leadership of the governor and support his efforts at delivering his shared prosperity agenda for the state.

He commended the inclusive and visionary leadership style of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, which he said has enabled Ekiti to witness development across all sectors under his administration over the past three years.

According to him, the progressive platform in the last few years has been built in the state with a culture of regular dialogue and engagements, especially at the grassroots level, adding that, “the spirit of solidarity has held us together and shaped us into an effective political movement.”

In a personally signed statement released after the meeting, Fayemi said, “These engagements form part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen party cohesion and reinforce our collective resolve ahead of the next electoral cycle. It was a valuable opportunity to hear directly from those sustaining our structures at the local level and to better understand their perspectives, aspirations, and concerns. I appreciated their openness and the thoughtful feedback offered on how we can continue to grow stronger as a party.

“In my remarks, I reiterated that what has defined our political tradition since the days of the Action Congress is our unwavering commitment to shared ideals and collective responsibility. Our strength lies in the room we create for honest dialogue, mutual respect, and collaboration at all levels. This spirit of solidarity has held us together and shaped us into an effective political movement.

“Governor Biodun Oyebanji has continued to demonstrate inclusive, visionary leadership, and I am proud of the progress Ekiti State is making under his stewardship. His commitment to development, good governance, and broad-based consultation deserves our full and active support.

“These engagements at the grassroots level are intended to complement his efforts, ensuring that no concern goes unaddressed and that local party stakeholders feel involved in the journey toward another successful term.

“As party leaders, it is our responsibility to help sustain unity, encourage participation, and support the Governor’s agenda with sincerity and discipline. Every stakeholder counts. We must all do our part to mobilise support, enhance cohesion, and remain focused on the collective goals before us.

“This experience reaffirms our belief in the value of ongoing engagement and the strength of collective wisdom. Together, we will continue to advance the progress of our state and position our party for even greater achievements.”

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the APC in the state, Segun Dipe, has denied the social media reports that the former governor was mobilising members of the party to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following his stakeholders’ meeting.

Dipe, while dismissing what he described as lies and falsehood by crisis merchants, especially within the APC, said, “we are not perturbed, we are now in a season of propaganda, characterised by spewing of lies and telling half truth to confuse the people.

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“Any busybody who yearns to know what is happening in our party is free to contact me as the spokesperson of the party and they would be reliably informed, rather than looking for gutter gists.

“We are also not unmindful of the enemies within who are looking for opportunities to create and feast on crisis. We call them crisis merchants, but they won’t succeed by an inch.

“One good turn deserves another. Being the incumbent, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has impressed both the party and the electorates enough to deserve a second term. This is the position of all stakeholders in our party, ex-Gov Fayemi inclusive. And if there is any meeting of party faithfuls he, Fayemi, is calling, it is towards realisation of this our objective. Nothing more.”

When asked whether Fayemi could have called a meeting of any stakeholder for any purpose, the APC spokesman said, “Why not? He is a strong pillar of our party in Ekiti State and he will not allow the house he laboured so much to build to collapse. All his intentions are geared towards giving our party a good footing in the state.”

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