Social media activist and politician, Hon. Abimbola Olajumoke Olawumi, has joined the race to challenge the incumbent governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji for the 2026 governorship election in the State.
Hon. Olawumi, on Tuesday, at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat in Abuja purchased her Nomination and Expression of Interest forms.
Speaking to journalists thereafter, she emphasized that her decision to run stems from her dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs in Ekiti, particularly the poor condition of infrastructure, including roads, schools, and hospitals.
According to her, despite the state receiving over 500 billion Naira from the Federal Government in three years, there are no visible projects to show for it.
“If I’ll be correct, you pressmen must have been seeing in the news, on social media, what is happening in Ekiti State. The state of our roads, our schools, our hospitals, all the infrastructures in the state, there is nothing to write home about.
“Despite the fact that the president has done so much, especially since he was inaugurated in 2023, the allocation coming to my state tripled.
“And in the last count, I think that was June, by the end of June 2025, when we did the analysis of every penny the Oyebangi’s administration has gotten, we discovered he has gotten over 500 billion Naira in three years.
“But when you come to Ekiti State, you hardly find anything that is commensurate with what he has gotten from the federal government”, she lamented.
Hon. Olawumi mentioned a 50 billion Naira food security fund from the Federal Government, which she believes should have yielded significant results, but instead, the state has nothing to boast about.
“The Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has really done so much for Ekiti State, at least last year, 50 billion Naira was given for food security.
“But if you also agree with me that if a state has 50 billion Naira to invest in agriculture, by now, that state should be feeding the whole of the southwest.
“But as it is today, we don’t have anything that the government can boast about, that it has produced from a farm in Ekiti State”, she said.
Hon. Olawumi, who is also a reputable journalist, attributed the state’s woes to a cabal that has dominated power since 1999.
She said her reason for contesting is to bring a change, “a desired change to my State. The government has intentionally weaponized poverty. And by the time we look at the people of the state, the way they cry to us, we just feel that it’s time for a change.
“Let’s change the cabal that has been in government since 1999. Let’s bring about good governance, what governance is all about to the state. And that’s taking care of the people, making the welfare of the people of the state a priority”.
Spark News Naija reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the governorship elections in Ekiti State for Saturday, July 20, 2026.