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…20,000 supporters rally for Tinubu as Oluyede targets 90% of Ekiti votes
A fresh dimension to the political realignment ahead of the 2027 presidential election emerged in Ekiti State on Tuesday as former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Dr Oluwole Oluyede, led thousands of supporters in a massive mobilisation for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The mobilisation, organised under the auspices of the Oluyede Progressive Alliance for Renewed Hope Agenda (OPARHA), saw supporters march from Ajilosun to Fajuyi Park in Ado-Ekiti, where they were addressed by Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, Oluyede and other political leaders.
The event, tagged “OPARHA Renewed Hope Mega Walk 2026,” carried the theme: “20,000 Steps. One Hope. One Nigeria.”
The gathering brought together supporters associated with different political tendencies, with Oluyede using the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to mobilising massive support for Tinubu across Ekiti State ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Oluyede, who contested the June 20, 2026 governorship election on the PDP platform, declared that OPARHA would work towards delivering 90 per cent of Ekiti votes to Tinubu.
Addressing the crowd at Fajuyi Park, Oluyede said the mobilisation would extend beyond the mega walk, with members of OPARHA expected to take the campaign to communities across the state.
“We are going to win this election with 90 per cent. We are going to work hard to make sure that we deliver 90 per cent for him,” he declared.
He said supporters would embark on door-to-door mobilisation across the 16 local government areas and 177 wards of Ekiti State, engaging voters and canvassing support for the President.
Oluyede had earlier explained that the 90 per cent target was ambitious but achievable through sustained grassroots mobilisation. He said the objective of OPARHA was also to build a political bridge among different groups and strengthen the relationship between Ekiti and the Federal Government.
The OPARHA convener also called on President Tinubu to continue to prioritise the development of Ekiti State, saying the support being mobilised for the President should be matched with continued attention to the needs of the state.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Oyebanji described the development as a demonstration that political differences should not prevent Ekiti people from working together in the interest of the state.
He commended Oluyede for putting aside partisan differences and mobilising his supporters for Tinubu.
Oyebanji also praised the peaceful conduct of the 2026 governorship election, saying it reflected the vision of the founding fathers of Ekiti State.
“What is happening today speaks to the aspirations of the founding fathers of Ekiti. When they were fighting for state creation, our founding fathers desired an Ekiti where all of us would be one,” the governor said.
He expressed appreciation to Oluyede for what he described as his sacrifice and commitment to the broader interest of Ekiti.
“Any leader that loves his people will not mind to sacrifice, he will not mind to go through pains, and that is what is happening today,” Oyebanji said.
The governor said the emerging cooperation between him and Oluyede demonstrated that politicians could work together despite belonging to different political parties.
He urged APC and PDP supporters who back Tinubu to cooperate at the grassroots and avoid unnecessary rivalry.
Oyebanji further described Tinubu’s re-election as “existential” for Ekiti State, arguing that the President’s administration had supported the state through federal interventions and infrastructure projects.
“In our 30 years of existence as a state, there has been no President, living or dead, that has been so good to Ekiti people as this man,” he said.
The governor cited federal road projects as part of the interventions he said had benefited the state, including the Ado-Ekiti–Ifaki axis.
The Ekiti State Government has previously confirmed that the Tinubu administration approved the inclusion of the Itawure–Aramoko–Ado-Ekiti and Aramoko–Ijero–Ido–Ifaki roads in the 2026 Federal Government budget.
Oyebanji had also previously credited the Federal Government with supporting major road projects and other interventions in the state, including the Ado-Iworoko–Ifaki road and the Ado-Akure route.
The Ado-Ekiti mobilisation represents a further public expression of the political cooperation between Oluyede and Oyebanji following the 2026 governorship election.
Oluyede has publicly said that his decision to work for Tinubu’s re-election does not amount to abandoning his political identity, but reflects his stated desire to put what he considers the broader interests of Nigeria and Ekiti above partisan differences.
The PDP chieftain has also disclosed that his consultations were aimed at bringing members of different political tendencies together around the 2027 presidential election and the development of Ekiti State.
For Oyebanji, the collaboration is consistent with his repeated call for increased support for Tinubu in 2027. In a September 23 stakeholder engagement in Ifaki-Ekiti, the governor said Ekiti would take Tinubu’s re-election seriously and called for intensified mobilisation to increase the President’s votes in the state.
The governor has also previously praised the Federal Government’s interventions in Ekiti, particularly in road infrastructure, and said increased federal allocations had helped his administration implement its development agenda.
As the OPARHA mobilisation moves beyond the Ado-Ekiti mega walk, Oluyede said the group would deepen its grassroots engagement across the state.
The immediate political significance of the mobilisation lies in the public appearance of leaders from different political backgrounds campaigning around a common presidential objective, with Oluyede placing a 90 per cent vote target before his supporters and Oyebanji calling for cooperation between APC and PDP members who support Tinubu.
The Ado-Ekiti event thus marks another step in the emerging cross-party mobilisation for the 2027 presidential election in Ekiti State.
