Keep the peace, or lose what we've built together
Two days before Ekiti State's governorship election, incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji addressed his people not merely as a candidate seeking renewal, but as a steward of a fragile civic inheritance. His statewide broadcast on Wednesday carried a message older than any ballot: that the manner in which power is contested reveals the character of a people. Pointing to a record of peaceful elections as both achievement and obligation, he asked every actor in the democratic process — party, soldier, observer, and voter alike — to honor what Ekiti had built and carry it forward into Saturday's polls.
- With Saturday's vote hours away, Oyebanji moved urgently to steady the atmosphere, broadcasting a direct appeal for calm to every faction capable of disrupting the process.
- The tension beneath the appeal is real — Nigeria's electoral history carries the weight of contests that have turned violent, and the governor's words were as much warning as encouragement.
- Oyebanji anchored his call for peace in a concrete claim: that his administration had already presided over the most peaceful election in Ekiti's history, making restraint a proven choice, not an untested hope.
- He paired the peace appeal with a political pitch — the 'Shared Prosperity Mandate' — arguing that four years of fulfilled promises and improved services had earned him the momentum of a second term.
- The broadcast also mapped the full architecture of support behind his campaign, from President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima down to market traders and traditional rulers, signaling a candidacy backed at every level of Nigerian political life.
- The election now lands at the intersection of civic aspiration and political ambition, with Oyebanji asking Ekiti to choose continuity — and to choose it peacefully.
On Wednesday evening, Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji addressed his state with a message he clearly considered more important than any campaign promise: keep the peace. In a statewide broadcast two days before Saturday's governorship election, he appealed to political parties, security agencies, observers, and voters to conduct themselves with professionalism and restraint — before, during, and after the polls.
Oyebanji, who has governed since October 2022 and is seeking re-election on the APC ticket, grounded his appeal in a record he was proud to claim. Under his watch, he said, Ekiti had experienced its most peaceful election in the state's history — not by accident, but through deliberate choices by stakeholders to prioritize order over confrontation. He wanted Saturday to follow the same script.
The peace appeal was woven into a broader argument for renewal. He asked voters to grant him a second term under what he called the 'Shared Prosperity Mandate,' framing his first four years around a six-pillar development agenda that he argued had delivered on its promises. With another mandate, he said, his administration would accelerate socio-economic development, complete ongoing projects, and pursue new initiatives aligned with Ekiti's 30-year development plan.
The governor also took time to acknowledge the considerable support behind his campaign — from President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, who visited the state twice in the preceding week, to traditional rulers, religious leaders, market traders, and workers who had turned out in force at rallies across the state.
But it was the call for peace that gave the broadcast its weight. In a country where elections have sometimes turned violent and security forces have occasionally overstepped, Oyebanji's appeal was not mere rhetoric. It was a direct instruction to every actor who would shape whether Saturday unfolded as a civic exercise or descended into disorder — a reminder that Ekiti had done better before, and an insistence that it do better again.
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji took to the airwaves Wednesday evening with a single, urgent message: keep the peace. In a statewide broadcast two days before Saturday's governorship election, he appealed directly to every faction with a stake in the vote—political parties, election observers, security forces, and the electorate itself—to conduct themselves with professionalism and restraint before, during, and after the polls.
Oyebanji, who assumed office on October 16, 2022, is seeking another four-year term on the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress. His appeal carried a particular weight because he was able to point to a concrete record: under his administration, Ekiti has experienced what he described as the most peaceful election in the state's history. That achievement, he suggested, was not accidental. It was the result of deliberate choices by stakeholders to prioritize order over confrontation. He wanted Saturday's vote to follow the same script.
The governor's call for restraint was paired with a broader pitch for renewal. He asked voters to grant him what he termed the "Shared Prosperity Mandate"—a second term to build on the foundation his administration claims to have laid. He framed his first four years around a six-pillar development agenda, arguing that his government had kept faith with electoral promises and delivered improved service delivery across sectors. The foundation, in his telling, was solid. What was needed now was momentum.
With another mandate, Oyebanji said, his administration would accelerate socio-economic development, complete ongoing projects, and pursue new initiatives aligned with Ekiti's 30-year development plan. He spoke of taking the state's plans to "greater heights" and delivering services at a faster clip. The language was forward-looking, confident—the speech of a candidate who believed he had earned the right to continue.
Oyebanji also used the broadcast to acknowledge the machinery that had been deployed on his behalf. He thanked President Bola Tinubu for support at both political and inter-governmental levels, and he singled out Vice President Kashim Shettima, who led the party's campaign efforts and visited the state twice in the preceding week. The National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, had also been present at the final campaign rally on Tuesday. Beyond the federal apparatus, Oyebanji expressed gratitude to traditional rulers, religious leaders, workers, artisans, market traders, and various interest groups who had shown support.
He also thanked First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinbu for her affection for Ekiti, a gesture that underscored the depth of the national party's investment in the race. The turnout at campaign rallies across the state had been substantial, Oyebanji noted, a sign of what he read as genuine grassroots backing for his candidacy.
Yet the core of his message remained the appeal for peace. In a country where electoral contests have sometimes turned violent, where security forces have occasionally overstepped, and where political tensions can spill into communities, Oyebanji's emphasis on professional conduct from all quarters was not rhetorical flourish. It was a direct instruction to the actors who would determine whether Saturday's election unfolded as a civic exercise or descended into chaos. He was asking them to remember that Ekiti had done better, and to do better again.
Citas Notables
This current political electioneering has been the most peaceful in the history of our State, and we must do everything to ensure that the election and post-election activities remain peaceful.— Governor Biodun Oyebanji, statewide broadcast
With another four years of your mandate, we will be able to take the socio-economic plans of our administration to greater heights.— Governor Biodun Oyebanji, appealing for renewal of his mandate
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a governor need to make a statewide broadcast asking for peace? Isn't that something that should be assumed?
You'd think so. But elections in Nigeria have a history of turning volatile. When power is at stake and resources flow from winning, the incentive to cut corners—or worse—can be real. A public appeal from the sitting governor sets a tone and puts stakeholders on notice that he's watching.
But he's the one running for re-election. Doesn't that undermine his credibility? Isn't he asking for peace partly because he wants to win?
Of course he is. But that doesn't make the appeal hollow. He's also claiming a track record—that Ekiti has had the most peaceful elections under his watch. If that's true, it's worth preserving. If it's not, the claim itself becomes a standard he has to meet.
What about the six-pillar agenda he mentions? Is that just campaign talk?
It's both. He's citing it as evidence that he's delivered on promises, which is a campaign argument. But it's also the framework his administration has actually used to organize policy. Whether the delivery matches the rhetoric is something voters would have to assess themselves.
He thanks a lot of people—the President, the Vice President, traditional rulers. Is he building a coalition or just being polite?
Both again. In Nigerian politics, those relationships matter enormously. The fact that the Vice President visited twice in one week signals serious federal backing. That's real power. The thanks are genuine, but they're also a way of saying: I have support at the highest levels.
What happens if the election isn't peaceful?
Then his appeal will be remembered as either naive or insufficient. And the state will have to reckon with the consequences—displaced people, damaged institutions, lost trust. That's why his emphasis on professional conduct from security agencies matters most. They have the power to escalate or de-escalate.