As part of political intrigues ahead of the 2026 governorship contest in Ekiti State, campaign posters of a former governor, Chief Segun Oni, appeared on the streets of state capital Ado-Ekiti.
The posters, which had the picture of Oni, carried the logo of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with the inscriptions ‘Only One Term’ and ‘Ekiti ko’ya’.
The locations where the posters were seen included Oke ori-omi, Okeyinmi Roundabout, Irona Roundabout, Adedayo Road, Fajuyi among others parts of the city.
Residents of the town woke up on Saturday morning to the posters purportedly announcing the septuagenarian intention to contest the poll on the platform of ADC.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed June 20, 2026, as the date for the governorship election; political parties are expected to elect their candidates for the poll between October 20 and November 10, 2025.
Oni, who was the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2022 governorship election, served as governor between 2007 and 2010 on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The sudden sighting of the posters came as a surprise to many, considering that he had announced his withdrawal from partisan politics during his 70th birthday celebration held at his Ifaki Ekiti country home on September 1, 2024. He said he had no intention to contest the 2026 election, having resigned his membership of any political party.
The former Ekiti state governor, has however, dissociated himself from the campaign poster suggesting he is to contest the 2026 governorship election in the state.
Oni, in a statement signed by his media aide, Moses Jolayemi, described the claims as mischievous and false.
He said he did not authorise or know anything about the campaign posters that suddenly appeared overnight.
The state reads, “Our attention has been drawn to the posters apparently pasted overnight suggesting that Asiwaju Segun Oni is running in the next governorship election in Ekiti state under the umbrella of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)
“We wish to state categorically that this did not emanate from us and we have no idea who the sponsors are.
“This could be out of love or out of mischief, but whatever it is, I did not authorize it and I am not part of it adding I, Segun Oni, cannot be stampeded into taking any actions”, He concluded.
When contacted, one of the ADC leaders in state, who spoke with LEADERSHIP on the condition of anonymity, said the party is not ready to make any official statement on the matter so as not to create more confusion. The source said the ADC is still focused on consulting on how to build proper leadership structures.
