Youths in Ekiti State are planning a 10,000-man solidarity march in support of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Biodun Oyebanji ahead of the 2027 general election and governorship election in the state.
Commissioner for Youth Development, Adesola Gold Adedayo, disclosed this on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti while featuring on a current affairs programme aired by local radio stations.
Adedayo said the planned march slated for Friday, January 23, 2026, was aimed at aggressively mobilising support for President Tinubu and Governor Oyebanji in appreciation of their purposeful, youth -friendly and inclusive leadership.
Adedayo, who also serves as the coordinator of the All Progressives Congress electronic registration exercise in the state, noted that youths constitute about 70 per cent of registered voters, according to figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He described the youth population as a strategic electoral force capable of determining the outcome of elections, adding that Governor Oyebanji had earned their loyalty through deliberate investments in youth development.
Adedayo said Governor Oyebanji’s policies in agriculture, particularly the establishment of farm settlements and dormitories for commercial farming, had provided employment and economic opportunities for young people.
The initiative, he said, had transformed rural communities into productive hubs, while youth farmers reportedly shared over N1bn as proceeds in December last year.
The commissioner cited empowerment programmes, support for persons living with disabilities, and the state’s free education policy as some of the interventions that had endeared the administration to the youth.
Adedayo added that the policies had ensured that children from poor backgrounds were not forced out of school due to financial constraints.
Adedayo urged youths not to limit their political participation to social media activities but to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and vote during the election, saying that online support alone would not translate into electoral victory, urging young people to be actively involved in the democratic process.
He added that the 10,000-man march would serve as a veritable platform to demonstrate the youths’ readiness to support President Tinubu and Governor Oyebanji’s re-election, whom he described as a lover and promoter of youth development.
On governance, the Commissioner said that the achievements of the Oyebanji administration were evident in areas such as road infrastructure, agriculture, sports development, labour relations, security, arts and culture.
Adedayo also commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to repositioning the country on the path of economic recovery and prosperity.
He said that the President’s policies and reforms had created opportunities for states, including Ekiti, to attract federal support and investments that would drive development at the sub-national level.
