Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has berated the hypocritical attitudes of some political appointees, whom he said have refused to defend his administration against criticisms.

The governor, in an address to the Ekiti State University (EKSU) Alumni Solidarity Group members, who presented a gubernatorial nomination form to him, accused the appointees of “eating from both sides”.

He rebuked the silence and inconsistent loyalty of certain cabinet members as his administration faced criticisms by the opposition.

Mr Oyebanji called for a corresponding action and urged his supporters to take control of online narratives about his administration.

“We need to seize the social media space. It’s not that they’re winning the battle, but some political appointees, because they are eating from both sides, can’t even come out to defend the government,” Mr Oyebanji said.

”Very few of them are on platforms where our government faces a barrage of attacks, and they will keep mute. They won’t be able to talk, and they are collecting monthly salaries.

The governor promised to deal with the appointees at the appropriate time.

”I’m marking them one by one, but I won’t say anything now. But be assured that those of you who are on platforms where opposition is dragging us, and you choose to keep quiet while you collect salaries from this administration, we will come back to you at the appropriate time,” he said.

Mr Oyebanji’s reaction follows an earlier raised alarm over what he described as a planned coordinated media attack against his administration.

Alleging that some members of the All Progressives Congress were behind the purported attack, the chief press secretary to the governor, Yinka Oyebode, in a statement on Friday, claimed that over 150 individuals, including influencers, had been paid to launch an attack on the governor’s performance.