Ekiti Govt alleges APC chieftains plot sponsored social media attacks against Oyebanji

The Ekiti State Government has raised alarm over what it described as a coordinated social media campaign of calumny being orchestrated against Governor Biodun Oyebanji ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries scheduled for October 27, 2025.

In a statement issued on Friday, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, alleged that over 150 social media operatives, including prominent national influencers, had already been contracted and paid—some in foreign currency—to launch the offensive starting next week.

Oyebode said the attacks would involve “spurious allegations, forged documents, and AI-generated graphics,” all targeted at discrediting Governor Oyebanji, key figures in the state government, and party leaders in Ekiti.

The statement also linked the alleged group behind the new campaign to a previous failed attempt to discredit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu using the Itawure-Aramoko-Igede road project in Ekiti as a pretext. Oyebode claimed that the narratives were widely rejected by the public, frustrating the effort.

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“Unlike previous sponsored media attacks on the governor and the state government that were treated with kid gloves, this new plot will be treated with the seriousness it deserves. The general public, security agencies, and all relevant institutions are hereby put on notice,” he said.

According to Oyebode, the government chose to go public with the information in order to avert possible unrest or tension that might arise from the alleged smear campaign.

“The government has chosen to alert the public on this grand plot in order to avert any likely breach of the peace, recourse to self-help, and unnecessary tension in the polity, which are the main intention of the masterminds of this ignoble plot,” the statement read.

The Oyebanji administration urged aspirants and political actors to maintain decorum as the APC primary and election season approach, stressing that campaigns should focus on issues rather than character assassination or orchestrated propaganda.

“The Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji administration welcomes constructive criticism and is ready to provide sincere answers to genuine enquiries about governance and the management of our commonwealth,” Oyebode said.

“All aspirants are also urged to make their campaigns and public engagements issue-based and to avoid sponsored social media or violent attacks.”

With the APC governorship primary just two months away, the allegation signals growing tensions within the party as factions jostle for dominance in Ekiti’s political landscape.