All things being equal, Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode John Fayemi, will later today bow out of the Government House, while Governor-elect Biodun Oyebanji, will be inaugurated as governor of the State for a four-year term.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Oyebanji winner of the June 18 governorship election in the State.
Oyebanji of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 187, 057 votes; Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) polled 82, 211, while Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 67,457 votes in the election.
Fayemi had set up a 46-member committee to coordinate activities marking the end of his tenure as well as the inauguration ceremony for the incoming administration of Hon. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji.
According to a statement by Fayemi’s Chief Press Secretary Yinka Oyebode, the committee is being led by the State’s First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi as Chairperson, while wife of the Governor-elect, Dr (Mrs.) Olayemi Oyebanji is Co-Chairperson. Mr. Seun Odewale, Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, will serve as Secretary to the committee.
Meanwhile, Fayemi has assured the residents that dilapidated federal roads in the State will be given attention to bring relief to the users and complement the Ekiti State Agro-Allied Passenger International Airport.
The airport along Ijan-Ado Road in the state capital marked the last project inaugurated for use by his administration.
Speaking on Saturday at the inauguration of the airport, the governor said he, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, had been making representations to the Federal Government on the state of federal roads in Ekiti.
Fayemi, who expressed satisfaction with the success of the project 10 years after its conception during his first administration in 2012, especially on the last day of his administration, said: “Upon my assumption of office in 2018, I appointed aviation experts and industry-related officials to kickstart the implementation of the project. They made several visits to communities in order to meet the requirements for the establishment of the airport.
“As a government that adheres strictly to the rule of law with unwavering respect for the rights of our people, we made several appeals to communities affected for enumeration of their farmlands to ensure commensurate monetary compensation is paid on their crops. To this end, a total of 669 claimants were duly compensated out of those that presented themselves for the exercise. We acquired 4,017 hectares of land from nine communities: Ago Aduloju, Aso Ayegunle, Bolorunduro, Igbogun, Araromi, Obbo, Afao, Orun, Igbemo, and Ijan, covering three local government areas in the state. My job is done, Ekiti Kete.”
The roads leading to the venue of the event and other adjoining streets within the precinct of the Ekiti patapo pavilion are under heavy security while Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and vans were stationed in front of the venue.
Several security personnel, comprising the Police, Army, Department of State Security and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are already manning strategic positions around the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion venue of the inauguration.