By Banji Ayoola
A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Engnr Adeolu Akinwumi has declared his bid for the state’s governorship election scheduled to hold next year.
He told reporters at a media chat on Monday in Akure that his ambition is being driven by his unusual passion to genuinely serve the people of the state and transform the economy for the good of all.
On why he thinks he is qualified to govern the state, Akinwumi said he has been prepared over the years with his rich experience in the governance of the state, and also in the private sector. He added that he has also meticulously developed himself in capacity building for the exalted office of the Governor of Ondo State.
He said: “For me, my focus will be on the electorate; politicians can run around, but the electorate is going nowhere. What matters to me are the good people of Ondo State that I want to serve, and I am confident that I’m going to get their support.”
To him, building the economy of the state especially would be his utmost priority as governor.
Highlighting his agenda, he said the foremost is to create an economy for Ondo State, stressing: ”Anybody who means well for Ondo State must take a very bold step at creating a very robust and more viable economy for the State. In building a robust economy, you have to tackle security and social housing because they are connected.”
He disclosed his campaign mantra as “OYA”, a wake-up call, saying the time is ripe to awaken and be concious of the need to entrust someone of his unique programme, zeal, passion, experience and dedication with the governance of the state.
Also, he stressed that in all fairness and considering whatever historical or political arrangements, it is the turn of the Ondo South Senatorial District to produce the state’s next governor after the incumbent Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, who hails from the Northern Senatorial District, and who took over from his predecessor, the former Governor Olusegun Mimiko who comes from Ondo Central Senatorial District.
However he noted that his bid for the exalted office is not based only on the fact that he comes from the state’s Southern Senatorial District, but essentially on the fact that he is not an accidental aspirant but someone who has meticulously developed himself in terms of capacity for the office.
He said that the fact that he is the only aspirant in his party who has so far shown interest in the governorship race explains how serious, prepared and determined he is to become the next governor of Ondo State.
His words: “I believe I have what it takes to aspire for this exalted office. I served the government of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko between 2009 and 2011 and I worked very closely with the governor as one of the key staff of the office of the governor.
“This gave me an opportunity to come close in term of what governance is all about in Ondo State because I had a privileged information about the locality of our dear State. All these, I will aggregate together and bring together by the way of my aspiration.
“I want to be the stronghold of the party.
Personality would determine this election, not factions, I possess the credentials that the people of Ondo State are yearning for.”
He added: “The service to the people is driving me to contest, it is my passion to serve.
“If you see my tax clearance, you would know that I am committed to this state. Even though all my income is not coming from Ondo State, I reside in On do State and I contribute to the economy of Ondo State.
“I want to be part of developmental process of Ondo State. I crave for the support of the people of Ondo State,”
He said that his experience as a Special Assistant to former Governor Olusegun Mimiko particularly exposed him to what real governance entails and the state’s robust political terrain, an invaluable knowledge that he described as a great credential for anyone aspiring to govern the state.
Describing the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as a gathering of confused individuals, which should be voted out of power in Ondo State in the forthcoming 2024 governorship election, he said he is unmoved by the reported mass decamping of his party members in the state to APC, a development he said is usual in politics.
He is unhappy with the level of the socioeconomic development of the state despite the fabulous deposits of natural resources, as he vowed to create a sustainable economy for the state.
Ondo State for instance is reputed to have the second largest bitumen in the world after Canada, which is untapped.
In Akinwumi’s words: “Health, education, and infrastructure require policy refinement in this state. For me, the first thing that needs to be done is to address the issue of the economy. Building a stable and viable economy takes a lot of work.
“I want to tell you today that I have consistently and meticulously developed myself in terms of capacity for this office; it is not an accidental aspiration. For me, when I leave here, I do engage our people, talk to them, and know what they want. I am in the best position to provide a solution to their problem.
“In Ondo State since 1999 till date, my party has had the opportunity to rule the state under the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu alongside administration of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. For me, I can tell you that I am not absolutely pleased with the governance in Ondo State.
“I am so much in a hurry to chase out the ruling APC-led administration because the party is a party of confused people that have conflicting ideologies and lacks direction and focus.
“We need a leader like me who understands the people with their orientation and culture in this state. And as a party (PDP), we are fully on the ground, but it only appears to the public that the system has been hibernated. The PDP is fully on the ground to participate in the forthcoming local government election.”
Akinwumi, a young man from Okitipupa in the Ondo South Senatorial District, holds a Bachelor degree of the prestigious University of Ibadan and a Master of Science degree of the University of East London in Computer System Engineering.
His work experience cuts across both the private and public sectors. He served as a Special Assistant on Administration in the immediate former administration of ex-Governor Olusegun Mimiko for two years and four months before he resigned on personal grounds.
Akinwumi speaking at the media chat
