Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has cautioned opposition parties in the state against using fake news to gain relevance ahead of the June 20 Ekiti governorship election.
He decried that deploying fake news amounted to blackmailing the government and heating the polity in the bid to attract political sympathy.
The governor spoke in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday during an engagement with artisans and private sector associations across the state under the aegis of the Congress of Artisans and Private Sectors.
Oyebanji said, “We have just 19 days to the election; please don’t fight with anyone. We are all one in Ekiti, so whoever wants to serve their community will not wage war on the community.
“There has been a lot of fake news about insecurity. I wonder how any Ekiti indigene would spread fake news that a commuter bus was hijacked and all the passengers were kidnapped.
“This is condemnable, and it shows the kind of people who are aspiring to rule Ekiti. If you don’t wish your people well, you cannot be a good leader. Since I don’t want to destroy anyone’s character, I condemn any attempt at deploying fake news for election purposes.”
Speaking further, Oyebanji said plans had been concluded to disburse funds to 2,000 women to support small businesses and economic inclusion in the state.
He advised traders to form themselves into cooperative societies to access loans from banks and the government, since banks were not willing to grant loans to individual traders.
He said his administration had consistently supported local traders and small businesses through the local content law, which emphasises that local businesses and artisans must be patronised.
Speaking earlier, the presidents of the two unions, Mr Ebenezer Babatunde for the artisans, and Mr Abiodun Gbenga for the private sector, declared the members’ support for Oyebanji’s re-election, citing his unrivalled achievements in critical areas of development for their position.
The two unions praised the governor for his performance in infrastructure development, empowerment, health, education and support for the informal sector.
They commended Oyebanji for his commitment to the welfare of workers and residents in general.
They also thanked the governor for implementing trader-friendly policies, which had enhanced small and medium-scale enterprises in the state.
The two leaders said their members were confident in Oyebanji’s ability to steer the ship of the state toward a more prosperous future if given another chance.
They also expressed their appreciation to the Governor for appointing their members to senior-level positions in his administration, promising to canvass votes for the governor at the grassroots to ensure he wins across the 177 wards of the state.