23rd September, 2025
The political atmosphere in Ekiti State is heating up as questions are being raised over the credibility and loyalty of Engineer Kayode Ojo, who recently declared interest in contesting the 2026 governorship election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Party loyalists in the state argue that Ojo’s political history is riddled with contradictions that cast doubt on his suitability to fly the party’s flag.
Top echelons of the party recalled that during the 2022 governorship race, Ojo boycotted the APC primary election that produced Governor Biodun Oyebanji as candidate, only to later direct his supporters to back the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the general election.
They also raised concerns about his subsequent decision to drag the APC to court, seeking the cancellation of the primary and even asking the court to declare the SDP candidate winner if he could not be installed.
"It is a fact that Kayode Ojo initiated legal proceedings against the APC in 2022, seeking the annulment of the APC primary election in order for the SDP candidate in the aforementioned general election to be proclaimed the victor, should the court be unable to declare him the winner of the primary election he chose to boycott", says a party who preferred to remain anonymous. No man of conscience would come back in 2025 to seek to use the same platform after denigrating it that much a few years back, he stressed.
Stakeholders insist that such moves amounted to working against the collective interest of the party. To them, it is baffling that a man who once sought to undermine the party’s victory could now turn around to present himself as a loyal aspirant for the party’s ticket.
The stakeholders argue that, having lost his case up to the Supreme Court, Ojo never returned to the party leadership to seek reconciliation or express remorse for his actions, yet he is now attempting to reinvent himself as a committed progressive.
Had the SDP candidate been declared the winner as part of Kayode Ojo's petitions to the court, would he now return to the same APC to vie for the 2026 election? They queried.
Many party elders believe his ambition is driven more by opportunism than by genuine service, warning that Ekiti cannot afford to entrust its future to a politician whose commitment wavers with every election cycle.
While pointing out that some of his newfound supporters were the same elements who openly backed opposition candidates in 2022, they questioned the sincerity of their sudden interest in Ojo’s candidacy.
For a state that has begun to experience stability and people-centered governance under Governor Oyebanji, the stakeholders contend that a return to the kind of political inconsistency represented by Ojo would amount to a step backward.
They reaffirmed that Ekiti APC has spoken clearly in its support for continuity and stability, and that the unity being enjoyed in the party should not be jeopardized by individuals with questionable loyalty.
According to them, the debate goes beyond political ambition as they emphasize trust, credibility, and alignment with the party’s vision as key determinants, adding that on that basis, Ojo has consistently failed the test.
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