A support group, The Progress Mandate (TPM), has criticised Ekiti State governorship aspirant Funmi Ogun over her recent claim on the affairs of the state.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, Director General of TPM, Yomi Oso, described Ogun’s optimism as disconnected from the current political reality in Ekiti, where Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) enjoys widespread support.

He said, “We have taken note of the recent remark by Mrs. Funmi Ogun, a governorship aspirant under the banner of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that her party is ‘positioned to win’ the 2026 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State.

“While we recognise her constitutional right to aspire to public office and to market herself to the electorate, we respectfully assert that such optimism must be grounded in reality, not rhetoric.

“The truth is clear and undeniable. Ekiti people are not looking for experiments or recycled ambitions, they are reaping the fruits of continuity, purposeful leadership, and strategic governance under Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO). His administration has unified the political class, prioritized development over noise, and pursued an inductive governance approach that listens before it acts.

“In just over two years, Governor Oyebanji has delivered concrete progress in road infrastructure, education, healthcare, civil service welfare, youth empowerment, and economic diversification. Even federal roads long neglected are now receiving attention. Thanks to the collaborative leadership style that BAO has institutionalized.

“More importantly, the people of Ekiti now enjoy a government that consults, carries stakeholders along, respects institutions, and is free of drama and distractions. Under BAO, governance has been demystified and returned to the people, where it rightly belongs.

“If Mrs. Ogun and the PDP are serious about winning Ekiti, they must first explain how they intend to outperform a man whose humility, accessibility, and results have endeared him to all classes of citizens; from civil servants to market women, from royal fathers to artisans, from students to elders.

“The Progress Mandate (TPM) stands solidly behind the re-election of Governor Oyebanji, not because of party loyalty alone, but because of performance, capacity, and credibility. Ekiti cannot afford to reverse the progress being made.

“As 2026 approaches, we urge all well-meaning Ekiti sons and daughters to rally around continuity, not conjecture, Yomi Oso, said.”