I am just asking a simple and harmless question.
Is Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) really blessed?
This question emanated from a banner I posted on the internet exactly one year ago, on 13 October 2025.
Please, look at the banner accompanying this article. Read the inscription carefully. Take particular note of the date.
“HURRAY! B.A.O. IS BLESSED AND ORDAINED FOR A GREATER EKITI!”
That was my declaration on 13 October 2025.
Today, 13 October 2026, exactly one year later, the man I described as blessed and ordained for a greater Ekiti is preparing to be sworn in for a historic second term on Friday, 16 October 2026.
Haaaaaaa!
Am I a prophet? Has it not come to pass?
I do not claim prophetic powers. Neither do I pretend to possess the supernatural ability to see tomorrow. But I believe that a discerning mind can sometimes recognise the qualities of a leader whose conduct, character and disposition point towards an extraordinary political destination.
And when I made that declaration a year ago, I was not merely celebrating a governor. I was expressing my conviction about a man whose humility, political maturity, proactive disposition and accommodating leadership style had already begun to distinguish him.
Now, let us examine the unfolding history.
For the first time in Ekiti State, an elected governor has secured a second consecutive term through the ballot box.
Yes! Others have governed Ekiti twice, but their tenures were separated by other administrations.
BAO has broken that jinx!
And that is not all.
For the first time, all four former elected governors of Ekiti State — Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose, Engineer Segun Oni and Dr Kayode Fayemi — publicly found common ground in supporting the re-election of one governor.
Haaaa!
Imagine the political significance!
Men who had fought fierce political battles, operated from different political platforms and held contrasting political interests came together in support of BAO.
Is that not remarkable?
And what about the election itself?
Those familiar with Ekiti’s political history will remember the days of “jagidi jagan, bí o bá ò pa, èmi á pa ọ́!”
The politics of bitterness, thuggery, threats, intimidation and dangerous confrontations!
Those were the days when elections sometimes resembled warfare, when political differences could turn neighbours into enemies and when the atmosphere was charged with apprehension.
But the 2026 governorship election presented a different picture.
It was generally peaceful, without the widespread bloodshed, organised political violence and destructive acrimony associated with some previous contests.
Certainly, isolated incidents and electoral irregularities were reported, but the relative calm and absence of widespread violent confrontation were significant.
And as BAO approaches his second inauguration, Ekiti has not been consumed by the prolonged, high-profile post-election judicial warfare that characterised several previous governorship transitions.
An election without widespread bloodshed. A political atmosphere without overwhelming acrimony. A historic victory without the familiar prolonged judicial hostilities.
These are developments worth reflecting upon.
Is BAO really blessed?
Or is Ekiti itself being blessed through a leadership style that places greater emphasis on accommodation than confrontation?
For me, the significance goes beyond electoral victory.
Under BAO, Ekiti has continued to record progress in infrastructure, agriculture, investment, aviation, tourism and other sectors of the economy.
The operationalisation of the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, the expanding agricultural investment landscape, renewed tourism development initiatives and ongoing infrastructural projects are among the visible expressions of an administration determined to reposition the state.
But beyond physical projects, there is something about BAO’s leadership disposition that particularly fascinates me.
He is proactive!
And I have always believed that a proactive mind possesses an extraordinary advantage.
A proactive mind does not wait for circumstances to dictate its direction. It anticipates opportunities, identifies possibilities, builds relationships and acts ahead of challenges.
Such a mind does not remain permanently satisfied with yesterday’s accomplishments.
It soars higher!
That is why my confidence in BAO’s second term is not based merely on sentiment or political excitement.
It is rooted in what I have observed of his first term: his temperament, his capacity to accommodate differences, his political intelligence, his development initiatives and his ability to sustain relationships across divides.
He has acquired experience. He has built goodwill. He has laid foundations. He understands the terrain.
And I am convinced that these advantages will propel him to achieve far more in the next four years.
BAO has done well. I am confident he will do far, far better!
I see an Ekiti where the foundations already laid will translate into greater economic opportunities, stronger infrastructure, expanding tourism and agricultural enterprises, increased investment, more employment and improved prosperity for our people.
I see a governor whose proactive disposition will continue to turn possibilities into realities.
This is not wishful thinking. It is my conviction, informed by the leadership trajectory I have witnessed.
And so, I return to that banner of 13 October 2025.
Exactly one year ago, I declared that BAO was blessed and ordained for a greater Ekiti.
Today, he stands at the threshold of an unprecedented consecutive second-term inauguration, having secured a historic electoral mandate and remarkable cross-party political goodwill.
Was I prophetic? Was I perceptive? Or was I simply fortunate to recognise early what history would eventually reveal?
Haaaaaaa!
I leave that question to my readers!
But there is one conviction I hold firmly:
The greatest evidence of being blessed is the capacity to become a blessing to others.
And as BAO prepares to take the oath of office on 16 October 2026, I am confident that the next chapter of his administration will further demonstrate that principle.
For a proactive leader does not merely celebrate yesterday.
He sees tomorrow, prepares for it and works towards making it better.
BAO HAS DONE WELL!
I AM CONFIDENT HE WILL DO FAR, FAR BETTER!
IS BAO REALLY BLESSED?
Well, look at the banner again.
Look at the date.
Look at the unfolding history.
And answer my simple and harmless question!
Congratulations, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji!
Congratulations, Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye!
Congratulations, Ekiti Kete!
A GREATER EKITI IS UNFOLDING!
Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq.
13 October 2026
