Ekiti Poll: ADC Confident As Babatola Cites APC, PDP Crises

The deputy governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Chief Ayodeji Babatola, has expressed confidence that the party will win Saturday’s governorship election, citing what he described as strong public support for its development-focused agenda in Ekiti State.

Babatola said the ADC’s campaign promises had resonated with residents who, according to him, were attracted to the party’s economic and infrastructure proposals aimed at improving living standards across the state. A total of 1,059,360 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots across 2,445 polling units in 177 wards spread across the state’s 16 local government areas when the poll holds on June 20, 2026.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, he said, “We (ADC government) will work on viable projects that will promote good health, welfare and all other aspects of spending in Ekiti as against the waste of public resources and capital flight being witnessed under the present All Progressives Congress administration in the state.”

He criticised what he described as mismanagement of public funds, citing the newly completed flyover in Ado Ekiti as an example of wasteful spending. “ADC government will judiciously spend Ekiti money to benefit Ekiti,” he said.

Babatola said the party would prioritise agriculture, industrialisation and infrastructure development if elected. “We are going to bring development and job creation by investing in agriculture and agro-based industries. We will discourage the sale of our agricultural produce at a lower price, and buying finished products at very huge amounts of money. Rather, we will ensure value addition and industrialisation,” he said.

“We will bring development by constructing roads in towns and rural villages, roads linking farms to our major cities in a way that will promote agricultural development,” he added.

He also expressed optimism about the party’s chances, arguing that political conditions favoured an opposition victory. “ADC has a very great chance, a great opportunity to be victorious in this election. Our major opposition, which is the APC, has a broken house. The APC has grown to a level that regression and degeneration have started to set in for them because of a lack of internal democracy. The APC is being haunted by the recent primary elections it conducted,” he said.

Babatola added that the Peoples Democratic Party had also been weakened by internal crises. “When you look at the Peoples Democratic Party as opposition, you realise that the PDP, following the leadership crisis that dogged it, has lost steam in most of the local government areas. Many of its members have joined either APC or ADC. So we have a greater opportunity to win the election with sustained focus,” he said.

He said the party remained united. “In our party, there is cohesion. Our members stand by each other. Our primaries were held following democratic ways, allowing our people to choose the candidates they want. These have continued to attract Ekiti people to us, and they are pledging to vote for our governorship candidate, Ambassador Dare Bejide,” he said.

Babatola urged supporters to protect their votes. “We urge ADC members and supporters to come and vote and stand by their votes until everything is counted on the election day. We know that if we do that, we are going to win,” he said. “It is left for us to vote, ask our people to vote, let the votes be counted and let it be transmitted before leaving the place.”

The ADC is contesting alongside the ruling APC, whose candidate, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, is seeking re-election, and the PDP, among thirteen political parties participating in the election scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission for June 20.