I Was Sacked By Ekiti Gov for Supporting Ojo, Former Head of Microcredit Agency Alleges

Bennett Oghifo

Former Chairman of Ekiti State Microcredit and Enterprise Development Agency, Akogun Abayomi Olumide, who was recently sacked by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, has alleged that he was removed for supporting a governorship aspirant, Engineer Kayode Ojo, ahead of the 2026 Ekiti governorship election.
Last Sunday, Oyebanji announced Olumide’s sack as the chairman of the agency, allegedly, “for gross misconduct and dereliction of duty”.

But Olumide, in a press statement yesterday in Lagos, said his removal was politically-motivated and hinged on “refusal to align with Oyebanji” for the 2026 election.

He urged Ekiti State residents to ignore the governor’s claims that he was sacked for corruption, saying he remains committed to his political convictions.
Olumide maintained that Ojo’s candidacy represented hope for Ekiti people.

He explained, “The CBN said the agency should recover funds amounting to N1.6 billion. But along the line, we met bottlenecks. Politicians were interfering, saying the money was not disbursed by us. Because of these obstacles, we decided to stop and recommended that those who issued the money should be responsible for the recovery.

“So, in view of that, we continued with our own mandate. Later, we read in the news that the state government released N500 million to a microfinance company that had just opened in Ekiti. We wanted to understand the modus operandi and how they intended to disburse the funds.

“We discovered it was meant to be a counterpart arrangement. But the Lagos microfinance company’s contribution was not forthcoming. Our board even held a virtual meeting with them, but they told us the MOU signed with the state did not include our agency.

“That means we were completely side-lined. People outside were asking me, as the chairman of the Ekiti microfinance agency, about the disbursement. I told them we had no hand in it. That was the beginning of the loggerhead.”

Olumide said, “At that point, I even considered resigning but board members persuaded me to be patient. We wanted to see the governor and report the situation, but there was no access.

“So, I concluded there were shady dealings within the agency which were not known to me as chairman. The public was not benefiting from the disbursement. That’s why I stopped going to the office and made my intention to resign clear. I even prepared my resignation letter.

“However, on Saturday night, I heard on the radio that I had been relieved of my position for ‘gross misconduct and dereliction of duty.’ They asked me to hand over properties in my care. But I had no office property, I didn’t sign cheques, I didn’t disburse money, and no funds were allocated to the agency. So, I don’t know what I was supposed to surrender, my personal vehicle, my house, or my wife’s car?”

Olumide stated, “I believe politics is a matter of choice, not force. As a citizen, I have the right to support anyone I choose. But because I supported Kayode Ojo, I was victimised.

“I am supporting Kayode Ojo because I no longer have confidence in Oyebanji’s leadership. Kayode Ojo is a man of impeccable character, who has managed businesses and created jobs for many people.”