Ekiti PDP Elects Ex-Acting Governor Odeyemi as Chairman

The political landscape of Ekiti State was reshaped on Friday as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elected former Acting Governor, Right Honourable Olatunji Odeyemi, as its new state Chairman. Odeyemi’s victory, secured during a state congress held in the capital, Ado-Ekiti, marks the end of months of internal jostling and establishes a high-profile figure at the helm of the party. This strategic leadership change is immediately framed by the party as the critical first step in repositioning the PDP to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the high-stakes 2026 governorship election.

Dependable NG reports that the elective congress drew over 1,000 delegates from all 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ekiti State who gathered to elect members of the State Working Committee. Odeyemi, a seasoned politician with a history as Speaker of the State House of Assembly and a brief but significant tenure as Acting Governor in 2009, demonstrated overwhelming popularity by securing 936 votes. He decisively defeated his closest rival, Mr. Sunday Olowolafe, a former state legal officer of the party, who managed to garner 290 votes. The large margin underscores the delegates’ desire for experienced leadership ahead of the challenging political calendar.

In his acceptance speech, delivered to a mix of jubilation and expectation, Chairman Odeyemi was humble yet firm, commending the party’s leaders and delegates for the immense trust invested in him. He made an earnest pledge to uphold the confidence reposed in him and emphasized that the outcome was a collective win for the PDP structure. Odeyemi called for immediate reconciliation and unity, graciously acknowledging the courage and commitment of all contestants towards the party’s growth, and soliciting the full support of all stakeholders to begin the urgent task of repositioning the party.

The new chairman framed his ascension as a mission to salvage the state from what he termed misrule and neglect. “My emergence today is not about Tunji Odeyemi. It is about the PDP family in Ekiti reclaiming its rightful place as the true voice of the people, the hope of the common man, and the credible alternative for good governance,” he passionately declared. He stressed that internal harmony was non-negotiable for future success. “We must therefore put behind us the divisions of the past and focus on unity, discipline, and loyalty to the ideals of our party.”

Odeyemi did not mince words regarding the challenges facing the state, asserting that Ekiti is in dire need of rescue from what he characterized as “maladministration, poverty, and neglect.” He charged the PDP to rise to this challenge and provide the genuine, people-focused leadership that the populace is yearning for. To achieve this, he detailed a roadmap focused on strengthening the party’s structures at the local level, actively empowering youths and women, and enshrining internal democracy where every member is accorded a sense of belonging and value.

Concluding his address, the former Acting Governor pledged to run a transparent and inclusive administration, promising an open-door policy where every voice is respected. He vowed that, together with the new State Working Committee, he would work relentlessly to make the PDP a formidable winning machine capable of delivering the dividends of democracy to the masses. His final appeal was a powerful call for solidarity: “I call on every member of our great party to close ranks. Let us speak with one voice, march with one spirit, and labour with one purpose, to return PDP to Government House, Ado-Ekiti, and restore prosperity, dignity, and hope to our people.”