Ahead of the 2026 governorship poll in Ekiti state, members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the auspices of the Concerned APC Patriots (CAP) have moved against the nomination of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, as the running mate to Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
The group, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, on Monday and signed by its convener, Mr Joshua Ademola said that Afuye’s nomination was like putting a square peg in a round hole because she lacked the capacity of the office of the deputy governor.
They said that most, if not all the critical functions that should be performed by the deputy in the absence of the governor, including representing Oyebanji at the various meetings in Abuja were either delegated to other officers of government or left unattended.
“We are of the view that in a state renowned for being one that parades most educated people, it has become embarrassing that someone whose educational qualifications are questionable is being paraded as the deputy governor.
“We believe that Afuye’s current election as deputy governor was a mistake which should not be allowed to repeat itself by making sure a more educated and capable individual is nominated to replace her.
“She has been a liability to the administration in the last three years, no positive contribution as expected from the deputy governor, which has been unsettling to the party and government.
“The position of a deputy governor is so strategic, apart from being a co-pilot with the governor; he or she can become governor in the absence of the governor, which is why the party cannot afford to nominate an unfit person for the position.
“We must state that we are not opposed to nominating another woman and we are not opposed to a nomination zoned to Ekiti South senatorial district, nor are we opposed to micro zoning the position to Ikere Ekiti.”
They warned that nominating Afuye could have devastating and adverse consequences for the party in the coming election, stressing that now that the primary election was fast approaching, the party must begin scouting for Afuye’s replacement.
But in a reaction to the Deputy Governor’s rejection by the Concerned APC members, the State Publicity Secretary of the party ,Segun Dope, said “What they are asking for is not possible because our current deputy governor is very competent, reliable and loyal.
“From the APC, we trust her and we couldn’t have wished for a better deputy governor for our performing governor.
“By the way, it is not the party that selects the deputy governor, it is beyond us, “Segun Dipe stated.