Some supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Thursday said they will vote for the party’s governorship candidate to stem the tide of insecurity.
The supporters spoke in separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday at the ADC final rally held at their campaign office in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
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Dare Bejide of the ADC is one of the 14 candidates in the Ekiti gubernatorial election scheduled for Saturday, 20 June.
Kidnapping
Kidnapping has become one of Nigeria’s most pervasive and destabilising security threats. Once concentrated in the Niger Delta and tied to militancy, it has spread across the country, embedding itself in the conflict economies of the North-west and North-central regions.
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From 2018-2023, bandits killed more people in the North-west than the terrorist groups Islamic West Africa Province and Boko Haram combined in the North-east. Armed bandits target farmers, traders, students, families, and travellers, turning abduction into a low-risk, high-reward enterprise that thrives amid weak state protection and fragmented security response.
‘Our expectations’
Olatunji Olawale described the campaign outing as a “testament of what will happen on Saturday.”
“This will be the most successful election in this state. We campaign against vote buying,” he added.
Mr Olawale noted that he believed that the governorship candidate would stem the tide of insecurity in Ekiti State.
He urged Mr Bejide, upon emergence as governor, to reduce the cost of university education.
Bosede Adewunmi, one of ADC’s supporters during the campaign, noted that the governorship candidate promised to ensure the safety of the people, especially against abduction and kidnapping.
Mrs Adewunmi noted that their governorship candidate has experience.
“He is an employer of labour, ur and he promised us employment, security, no more abductions,” Mrs Adewunmi said.
Olubunmi Salami, an Ado-Ekiti-based entrepreneur, also corroborated Mrs Adewunmi, saying that kidnappings will end if the ADC candidate wins.
Mr Salami described the final campaign as “fantastic and successful.”
Besides insecurity, Emmanuel Okonkwo, a trader, urged the candidate to empower the youth and reduce taxation.
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“Focus on security, the economy, education and youth empowerment,” Mr Emmanuel urged the candidate.
On her part, Oluwatoyin Ariyo urged Mr Bejide to focus on road construction and security.
She urged Ekiti residents to come out and cast their vote in favour of the ADC candidate.
Ekiti election
Fourteen contestants are jostling for the highest elective seat in Ekiti State. The incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, is seeking reelection on the platform of the APC, with Monisade Afuye as the deputy governorship candidate.
