Ekiti govt alleges fresh plot to launch social media attack on Oyebanji

By Boye Oyeyemi –

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

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olayinka Oyebode, in a statement on Friday, alleged that over 150 persons, including high-profile influencers, have been contracted and paid to begin the attacks next week.

He claimed the plan is being sponsored by some members of the ruling APC who intend to discredit the governor and other key figures within the party using forged documents and AI-generated materials.

According to the statement, those behind the plot were also responsible for a recent attempt to discredit President Bola Tinubu by using the condition of the Itawure-Aramoko-Igede road as a basis for attack.

Oyebode said the latest campaign is designed to heat up the polity through character assassination and blackmail.

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

He added that, “unlike previous sponsored online campaigns against the Governor, this alleged plot would be met with the seriousness it deserves.”

Oyebode further urged political actors to show restraint and ensure their campaigns remain issue-based as the state moves closer to the primaries.