The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, on Thursday presented the party’s flag to its Ekiti State governorship candidate, Dare Bejide, as the party rounded off its campaign ahead of Saturday’s off-cycle election.
Addressing supporters at the grand finale rally in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Mr Mark, a former senate president, urged residents of the state to vote massively for the ADC candidate, expressing confidence that the party would emerge victorious at the polls.
He thanked party faithful for what he described as their unwavering support throughout the campaign, saying the election offered Ekiti people an opportunity to chart a new political course.
“I appreciate the support you have given our candidate so far, but Saturday is the day that matters most. Come out in your numbers and vote for the ADC. We are confident that we will return here to celebrate victory,” he said.
He later handed the party’s flag to Mr Bejide, describing it as a symbol of the mandate he hoped the candidate would carry to the Government House after the election.
Receiving the flag, Mr Bejide thanked the party leadership for its support and said the ADC in Ekiti had built a formidable political structure capable of winning the governorship election.
According to him, the party has strengthened its grassroots presence across the state’s wards since he emerged as its standard-bearer.
“I want to tell our leaders that we have the best ADC coalition in any state in Nigeria. Since I emerged as the party’s candidate, I have worked to ensure that the party has structures across all wards in Ekiti,” he said.
Mr Bejide added that the party had brought together politicians from different political backgrounds, a development he said had strengthened its chances ahead of Saturday’s poll.
Earlier, the party’s National Women Leader, Naomi Abel, commended women in the state for supporting the ADC and urged them to translate their support into votes on election day.
She appealed to Mr Bejide not to sideline women if elected governor, saying they had played a significant role in his campaign.
“We have stood by you throughout this campaign. When you become governor, remember the women who supported your aspiration,” she said.
The rally marked the ADC’s final major campaign event before voters head to the polls on Saturday.
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The election comes at a time when Ekiti has recorded its highest number of registered voters since the state’s creation.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 1,059,360 voters are registered for the election, while 1,028,929 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected.
Despite the growth in the voter register, previous elections suggest that turnout has remained relatively low. In the 2022 governorship election, only 360,753 votes were cast out of 989,224 registered voters, continuing a pattern in which electoral outcomes are determined by a relatively stable pool of active voters.
Political analysts also point to populous local government areas such as Ado-Ekiti, Ikole, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Oye and Ikere as key battlegrounds whose voting patterns have historically played a significant role in deciding governorship elections in the state.
With campaigns drawing to a close, attention now shifts from political rallies to the ballot, where the competing parties will test the strength of their mobilisation efforts across the state’s 16 local government areas.