The Ekiti State Government has dismissed reports alleging that it is constructing a new Governor’s Lodge in Abuja for Governor Biodun Oyebanji and his deputy, Monisade Afuye, for ₦1.8 billion.

An online media platform claimed that the government released and spent ₦470 million on the project, purportedly valued at ₦1.8 billion.

However, in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti by the Special Adviser on Information and Value Orientation, Mr. Taiwo Olatunbosun, the state government described the report as false, misleading, and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.

“Contrary to claims in the publication, the budgetary provision does not relate to the construction of a new building, but to the completion of the existing Abuja Governor’s Lodge, an ongoing project inherited from the immediate past administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi,” Olatunbosun explained.

He said the project was awarded before Governor Oyebanji assumed office, but could not be completed earlier due to inadequate budgetary allocations in previous years.

“In line with the present administration’s commitment to continuity and fiscal responsibility, provision was made in the 2025 budget to ensure the completion of this inherited project, which happens to be the only one yet to be concluded among those handed over by the last administration,” the statement added.

Olatunbosun described as “deceptive and inciting” the portrayal of the project as a new lodge for the governor and his deputy, clarifying that it is officially designated as the “Ekiti State Governor and Deputy Governor’s Lodge”, a permanent state property meant for the use of successive administrations, not a private residence for the current occupants.

He also revealed that Governor Oyebanji has been staying in rented accommodation whenever he is in Abuja over the past three years.

“If personal comfort had been his priority, he would have completed the project within his first year in office. The fact that this has not been the case underscores the governor’s modesty, prudence, and focus on the welfare and development of Ekiti people above personal convenience,” he said.

Olatunbosun reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and prudent management of public resources, emphasizing that the decision to complete all ongoing and inherited projects is aimed at ensuring value for money and avoiding the waste that results from project abandonment.