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Oyebanji Building APC Secretariat with Personal Funds ~ Karounwi

...Says Governor’s personal commitment to APC welfare makes him unbeatable ahead of the primary election

October 7, 2025

Former Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dapo Karounwi, has commended Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji for personally financing the construction of a new All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat in Ekiti State, describing the gesture as unprecedented in the political history of the state.

Karounwi, who spoke on Monday evening during the popular Ekiti FM 91.5 political programme Ṣé O mọ BAO, described Governor Oyebanji as the first governor in Ekiti history to pay salaries to party executives, even from his personal purse, calling the gesture a reflection of deep loyalty and personal sacrifice for the progress of the APC.

The APC stalwart, who traced his political journey back to 1996 as the first Vice Chairman of Efon Local Government and later served as a House of Assembly member, said his experience as a founding secretary of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Efon, Assistant Secretary of AD in 2003, and Zonal Publicity Secretary of APC (2019 - 2022), makes him an authority on party affairs. 

“No governor before Oyebanji has ever paid party members salaries. Past leaders avoided it because of the Coker Commission of Inquiry which indicted Chief Obafemi Awolowo for funding party activities with government money. Learning from that, Oyebanji decided to fund the party from his personal resources,” he said.

Karounwi also commended the Governor for democratizing political appointments, saying the party leadership now has the privilege to nominate competent members for positions in government.

He added that Governor Oyebanji is personally financing the construction of a befitting APC Secretariat in Ekiti, which he said would soon make the party “a landlord in its own state.”

Speaking on the popularity of the Governor, Karounwi said Oyebanji has redefined grassroots politics in Ekiti by building an inclusive party that continues to attract new members in large numbers.

“Politics is a game of numbers, and BAO has grown the APC beyond imagination. People are trooping in daily because of his leadership style and accessibility,” he added.

Addressing concerns about the conduct of the October 27 governorship primary, the former lawmaker said the exercise would follow the direct primary system, as provided for in Section 84(4) of the Electoral Act.

Karounwi clarified that after the direct voting across the 177 wards, the process will proceed to the ratification stage, in line with APC’s internal guidelines, where five delegates per ward will formally affirm the outcome of the ward-level election, a validation step that finalizes the result of the primary election.

He further cautioned aspirants still campaigning on social media without formal declaration, saying, "polling units are not on social media."

Karounwi concluded that with Governor Oyebanji’s uncommon commitment to the welfare and growth of the APC in Ekiti State, no aspirant without genuine roots in the party can stand a chance against him.

“With all that Oyebanji is doing for the party; paying party executives from his pocket, building a new party secretariat, empowering leaders, and giving everyone a sense of belonging, I don’t see how anyone who is not known in the party or who doesn’t value the party can be a match for him,” he said.

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