As the All Progressives Congress (APC) gears up for its governorship primary, preparatory to the June 20, 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State, the Deputy Governor, Monisade Afuye, has declared that the state can’t afford to be governed by an inexperienced person.

She said that her principal, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, remains the best person for the state to continue till 2030.

The deputy governor stated that the state can’t afford trial and error governance by electing a neophyte to govern the state at the expense of an experienced governor like Oyebanji, whom she said, had been tested and trusted as an administrator.

Afuye spoke in Aramoko and Ado-Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti West and Ado local councils on Monday, during the conclusion of the women’s mobilisation tour organised by the office of the First Lady, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, to rally support for her husband.

The deputy governor assured the APC members that his boss, Oyebanji, would serve more inclusively if given a second term in office.

She, however, commended the APC members in the councils for their spirit of camaraderie and solid backing towards Oyebanji and the First Lady, who are their son and daughter.

“You have tested Governor Oyebanji and found him suitable as a governor. He has done excellently well in the last three years. You know that if given a second term, he will do more. I want you to double your votes for him,” she said.

Afuye promised that the government would continue to be gender-sensitive, by allotting more lofty positions to women in politics and administration, saying the governor is counting heavily on them to clinch the ticket in the party’s primary.

Similarly, Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Jide Awe, urged the women and other party members to be steadfast in their support for the governor, who has served with passion and delivered the best for the state.

Awe said the massive turnout of women at the mobilisation tour, was a well-amplified message that Ekiti is safe for the governor in the impending primary and governorship poll, urging them not to allow anybody to derail the ongoing process.