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Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, approved the termination of all political appointees’ appointments across boards, commissions and parastatals in the state.

Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor, Yinka Oyebode, said affected appointees include Special Assistants, Senior Special Assistants and Technical Assistants, but statutory boards remain untouched.

The statement linked the sackings to winding down Oyebanji’s first term ahead of his second term inauguration on October 16, 2026, while he thanked appointees.

The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has approved the termination of the appointments of all political appointees, including boards, commissions, and parastatals in the State.

According to a statement on Sunday by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor, Yinka Oyebode, those affected by the termination include Special Assistants, Senior Special Assistants, and Technical Assistants.

The statement however noted that chairmen and members of statutory boards are not affected by the dissolution.

Those not affected include the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), Civil Service Commission, House of Assembly Service Commission, and Judicial Service Commission.

Similarly, the governing councils of all state-owned tertiary institutions remain intact, in line with earlier directives by the Governor.

The Governor directed that the Chairmen of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Local Government Service Commission, and Teaching Service Commission are to remain in office, although their respective boards stand dissolved.

Also exempted from the termination of appointments are the Directors-General and Technical Advisors to the Governor.

The termination of appointments is linked to the gradual end of Oyebanji’s first term in office and preparations for his second term inauguration, Naija News reports. BreakingNews Alerts

“The decision became imperative in view of the gradual winding down of the Governor’s first term in office, ahead of the inauguration of his second term scheduled for October 16, 2026,” the statement read in part.

Governor Oyebanji expressed appreciation to the affected appointees for their contributions to the success of his administration and their service to the State.

He also wished them continued success in their future endeavours.

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Lawyer and human rights activist, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has raised concerns about the safety of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi. DownloadInteractive Maps

It was reports that the development comes barely 24 hours after Ejiofor raised an alarm concerning his own safety.

Speaking in a statement in Abuja, he said every discerning Nigerian, irrespective of political affiliation, should be worried about Obi’s safety.

Ejiofor, the lead counsel of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), warned that nothing must happen to Obi, and called on President Bola Tinubu to act now by protecting him and the democratic space, saying, “Nigeria must not wait for tragedy before it acts.”

He said, “As I attentively listened to Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 presidential election, speak during a prime-time interview on Arise TV a night ago, I was deeply struck by the gravity of his expressed apprehension about his personal safety and whether he would remain alive until the 2027 election.

“That statement ought not to be dismissed as ordinary campaign rhetoric. It should trouble every discerning Nigerian, regardless of political party, ethnic affiliation, religious persuasion or preferred candidate.

“Indeed, when a presidential candidate publicly expresses uncertainty about his own safety in the period leading to a national election, the appropriate response from every responsible institution should be vigilance, sober inquiry and preventive action, not political mockery, partisan dismissal or the dangerous assumption that nothing serious could possibly happen.

“Recent developments have already created a troubling atmosphere around the 2027 political season. Obi has publicly complained about difficulties faced by opposition politicians seeking to campaign in certain states, while the Benue incident involving the obstruction of his convoy generated competing accounts from him and the state government. The police confirmed that the visit was known and that security personnel were providing protection, although the precise responsibility for the obstruction remained disputed.

“If this were 2023, when the democratic contest enjoyed a considerably broader atmosphere of political mobilization across the country, perhaps some of these developments might have been treated as the usual rough edges of Nigerian politics. But the present circumstances demand greater sobriety.

“Reports of inflammatory political rhetoric, threats and obstruction of opposition activities have already generated concern among civil-society organizations and observers of the electoral process.”

He urged the federal government, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that every presidential candidate is safe.

“It is therefore incumbent upon the Federal Government, security agencies, INEC, political parties and state authorities to ensure that every presidential candidate enjoys the minimum conditions necessary to participate in a peaceful democratic contest, while simultaneously protecting citizens who wish to listen to, support or question such candidates.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as President and Commander-in-Chief, occupies a constitutionally consequential position in this national conversation. The issue should therefore transcend the politics of APC, NDC, ADC, or any other platform. The question is whether the Nigerian state can guarantee a political environment in which no candidate is prevented from reaching voters by intimidation, violence or unlawful obstruction, and no voter is prevented from freely hearing the political alternatives available to the nation.

“For those who may be tempted to think that intimidating an opposition candidate is merely another clever manoeuvre in the game of politics, there is an old lesson: the hand that strikes the drum today may not know whose house the sound will summon tomorrow.

“If anything should happen to Peter Obi-God forbid! the consequences would extend far beyond the individual concerned. It could be disastrous and devastating, never to imagined. It could destabilise an already delicate electoral environment and impose consequences upon the Nigerian state that no political calculation can adequately contain, he added.

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has announced plans to set up and lead campaign teams for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid in the FCT and Rivers State.

It was reports that Wike made this known on Friday during an inspection of the ongoing Phase Two construction of the Kuje-Gwagwalada road dualization project in Chikuku, Abuja.

The minister said he would personally head the campaign structure in the nation’s capital and his home state, Rivers, as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.

He said political parties were already reorganizing ahead of the election, adding that supporters of Tinubu from different political platforms had also begun preparing their campaign structures.

He said: “The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), I believe, is putting itself together for an aggressive campaign. For us who are supporting Mr President from different political platforms, we have put our machinery ready to fully kickstart. Very soon, I will inaugurate the campaign team for Tinubu in the FCT and Rivers State, which I will lead. All elements of the APC are ready, Mr President is ready, we are ready and you can see the enthusiasm.

“People are happy, and I don’t know who will contest against Mr President as far as this election is concerned. This is governance, and this is what people expect. It will translate directly into actual votes. It is very obvious. Nobody will be able to claim rigging in the FCT. The ‘rigging’ is the projects we are delivering, making the people happy.

“This is my first time getting to this side of the road, and I can see how highly populated this area is. You can imagine the enthusiasm and happiness on the faces of the people. That is why we say the essence of governance is to make people happy. When the people are happy, those in authority are happy.”

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