In a move that has sent ripples through Ekiti’s political landscape, Governor Biodun Oyebanji wielded the axe of restructuring on Saturday, dissolving the State Executive Council in a sweeping reorganization that spared only seven strategic cabinet positions. The sudden announcement, contained in an official statement signed by Secretary to the State Government Prof. Habibat Adubiaro, marks a decisive turning point in the Oyebanji administration’s governance approach as it enters a critical phase.
The dissolution order, effective immediately, requires affected commissioners and special advisers to hand over their portfolios to permanent secretaries or senior civil servants in their ministries, departments and agencies. Yet in what political analysts are calling a “surgical restructuring” rather than a wholesale purge, the governor demonstrated shrewd selectivity by retaining his justice chief, along with commissioners overseeing health, agriculture, education, works, and trade – portfolios central to his administration’s “Ekiti Prosperity Agenda.”
Governor Oyebanji’s terse but appreciative farewell to departing cabinet members – thanking them for their service while wishing them success in future endeavors – belies the seismic implications of this move coming midway through his term. The retention of three critical Directors-General overseeing transformation, SDGs and public procurement suggests continuity in the state’s technical governance framework even as the political leadership undergoes renewal.
Insiders suggest this reorganization reflects the governor’s dissatisfaction with implementation pace in certain sectors, while protecting what his administration considers its legacy projects – from agricultural revitalization to infrastructure development and healthcare reforms. The spared commissioners now find themselves in an enviable yet precarious position, their continued tenure signaling both the governor’s confidence in their performance and heightened expectations for delivery.
As Ekiti’s political class scrambles to interpret the implications of this cabinet shakeup, all eyes turn to Government House in Ado-Ekiti where Governor Oyebanji is expected to announce new appointments in coming weeks. What emerges will reveal whether this was merely routine housekeeping or the first act in a more profound reconfiguration of Ekiti’s governance architecture as the administration prepares for the second half of its mandate.
