…Says APC has delivered on infrastructure, education and economic reforms
ABUJA – Vice-President Kashim Shettima has challenged Ekiti State residents to deliver between 90 and 95 per cent of votes for President Bola Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
Shettima made the appeal on Thursday during the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti, where he thanked the electorate for supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election and Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the recent governorship poll.
He recalled that Ekiti delivered 201,495 votes for Tinubu in 2023, with the APC winning all 16 local government areas, three senatorial seats and six House of Representatives seats.
The Vice-President expressed confidence that the party could improve on its previous electoral performance, particularly following the endorsement of Tinubu by three former opponents of Governor Oyebanji from the PDP, SDP and APM.
He also highlighted the administration’s interventions in Ekiti, including road construction, the establishment of the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, student loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and the proposed Mining and Geosciences Institute.
Shettima listed the Akure-Ikere-Ekiti Road and Itawure-Aromoko-Ado-Ekiti Road among the Federal Government’s infrastructure projects, adding that other federal road projects across the state were at various stages of completion.
Taking a swipe at the opposition, he said electoral victory depended on grassroots mobilisation rather than social media popularity.
“The opposition can rant and rave, but there are no polling booths on Instagram or Facebook,” he said.
Shettima also cited Adamawa State as an example of the APC’s growing political strength, claiming that five former governors of the state were now aligned with Tinubu rather than former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
He argued that political parties seeking power must demonstrate their achievements and grassroots relevance instead of relying on sentiments.
The Vice-President further disclosed that former Ekiti governors, Ayodele Fayose, Niyi Adebayo and Kayode Fayemi, were aligned with Tinubu’s re-election aspiration.
He said the President remained committed to completing ongoing projects and expanding development opportunities, particularly in education and infrastructure.
Shettima urged Ekiti residents to renew Tinubu’s mandate, saying the administration needed another term to consolidate its reforms and complete its development agenda.