The Ekiti State University, EKSU, Alumni Association has drummed support for Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO), the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Ekiti State.
The EKSU Alumni body said that BAO as an alumnus of the university deserves their support, noting that since the inception of the institution, they were yet to have an alumni as a governor of the state.
The Alumni body said this on Monday in Emure-Ekiti, Emure Local Government Area, during a campaign rally for Oyebanji.
According to Adebiyi Fashoyin, the Coordinator of EKSU Alumni Support Group for BAO, the move to rally around his candidature was necessitated by his proven track records in the offices he had served in the state.
Fashoyin added that the campaign train is aimed at soliciting support from all the alumni in the nooks and crannies of the state.
The coordinator reiterated that they are apolitical, but they were spurred to support their own who had been diligent for the growth of the association.
He said: “BAO is one of us and having seen his track records and antecedents. First, he was Special Adviser to the Governor, Chief of Staff, different times as a Commissioner, and recently Ex-SSG.
“The Alumni felt compelled that after 40 years, it’s time to support him and he will be the first alumnus to be governor by the grace of God. We decided to support him by going to all our members all across the state regardless of party affiliation.
“We say to them, this is our candidate. We are not politicians. I’m not a politician and I don’t have a a membership card of any political party. BAO is the best man for the job and we are going to support him.
“We started today in Emure and we are going to go to all the nooks and crannies of Ekiti state to ask our members where we have over 400,000 in the state. We are going to rally them around for BAO.
“We are going to stay behind him, having been a Secretary for committee of the creation of the state. He has all the dreams of the fathers and we are going to support him. Since he is an alumnus and a very diligent one at that, we have no other business than to support him as one of our own.”
At the palace of the Elemure of Emure, HRM Elemure Oba Emmanuel Adebowale Adebayo, they were received by the council of chiefs who poured their blessings to his candidature.
Similarly, a former council boss in the area and a chieftain of the party, Hon. Bayode Okeya, said that Emure is fully in support of BAO.
Okeya said: “We have set up a committee to ensure he wins. It is going to be victory for BAO because APC is generally accepted in Emure.”