Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, says he would not get distracted by underhand  political schemings ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state, describing the idea of second term as the least of his worries for now.

Oyebanji said this at the grand finale of the 2024 Week of Prayer, organised by the  Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in conjunction with the Ekiti State Government, held at Jibowu Hall, Government House, in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Saturday.

The governor said news had been filtering in that some politicians had started holding meetings ahead of the 2026 governorship election, saying he won’t allow this to derail his focus in the interest of Ekiti citizens.

He said: “They said some people have started holding meetings, I am not bothered by this. For now, 2026 is the least of my worries. What I am really bothered about is leading Ekiti to prosperity, and allowing God to guide us.

“I have made a covenant that there won’t be tolerance for corruption, dishonesty, and disobedience to orders. So, I won’t allow second term ambition to distract me. Human beings can play politics, but God is the master politician. He knows how to take care of everything.”

Governor Oyebanji told the congregation that prayer and faith in God have made governance an easy task for him and not brilliance, exposure, and any other factor.

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Oyebanji said: “When I became the governor, which I never believed in my wildest imagination, I was asked to state what I wanted to go and do. I said God told me go and feed my people. That was why the first year, I dedicated it to the welfare of my people. We were paying salary, pension, and gratuity.

“As we were doing all these, some people said what is going to be my legacy, they advised that I should go and do infrastructure but I insisted that if I feed the people first, infrastructure will come. Because I was obeying God, money for infrastructure was being provided.”

He further stated that work on the 1.2 kilometres flyover to be constructed between Okeyinmi and Ijigbo roundabouts in Ado-Ekiti would soon commence, to ease traffic in the area.

Oyebanji added: “Let me tell you that work will commence in the coming weeks on the fly over we planned to construct in Ado-Ekiti to ease traffic in the business district around Ejigbo. This is just one of many other projects that will be undertaken.

“In the last one year, God has done in Ekiti what only Him can do. People are asking where is he getting the money?

“Some said I didn’t have the right connections. But, God, in His infinite mercy, has sent me on a mission and when God says I should move, I do that and we have been able to meet the expectations of the people.

“God just thrust me forward knowing that I wasn’t the most brilliant, the most connected and I didn’t have anything called  political structures.

“The only thing I will continue to do is to exalt God in this position. There wasn’t any time I got worried that I am the governor because I know He sent me on this mission.”

The Star