As the race to the 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State gets intense by the day, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed that power of incumbency will not work for the ruling All Progressive Party (APC) during the poll.
Speaking on behalf of the party, one of the three Senators representing the state in the National Assembly, Mrs Biodun Olujimi, boasted that her party, the PDP would win the election, adding that her party had weathered the storm before by defeating an incumbent governor.
The former Senate minority leader spoke in Ado Ekiti at the weekend, while distributing letters of employment to 25 Ekiti unemployed graduates.
She declared that nobody can run away with the PDP votes because, “we all know the tricks now. Some of us know the tricks because we have weathered the storm before.
“Power of incumbency won’t work this time around because we all know each other. It won’t happen again because we will be proactive and ensure that nobody runs away with our votes. The people of Ekiti will vote and their votes will count.
“Anyone that writes the PDP off, does so at his own peril. Because we are capable of reconciling and reorganizing ourselves. That is why anybody that writes our party off in the coming governorship election would be making a great mistake.
“However we are trying to put our house in order to ensure that come January 26, we will pick a solid candidate that will give the APC a run for their money. I believe that the PDP will come top in that election.”
On the agitation for power shift to the southern senatorial district, the PDP governorship aspirant said, “I am an unrepentant advocate of southern agenda, that power must shift to the south. The reason is for equity, fairness and justice for the zone and nothing more than that.
“If people that treat you with levity, without due respect, then you have got to show them the stuff you are made off and that is the reason why I am an advocate of southern agenda. I am believing in God and my party that a southern person will become the candidate of our party.
“This is because that would be our selling point and that is the best we can do for Ekiti in the present circumstance. That will be the best we can do for a people with six local governments that have been waiting for 25 years. I believe that my party, known for being just and considerate will do that for us.”
APC reconciliation c’ttee arrives Osun
Meanwhile, the members of the APC National Reconciliation Committee have arrived in Osogbo, Osun State capital, as part of efforts to begin the reconciliatory process and ensure the resolution of every contentious issue among members of the party in the State.
The Committee paid a courtesy visit on Governor Gboyega Oyetola at the Government House, Osogbo, in line with the party’s tradition and port of call to announce their presence and purpose of visiting the State.
This is even as Governor Oyetola assured the committee of maximum cooperation and support.
The Committee, led by a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, disclosed its readiness to ensure fair hearing, equity and justice in carrying out its official exercise in the State.
Speaking during the courtesy call, Adamu said members of the committee have come to attend to palpable contentious matters, treat petitions and elicit responses after which their report would be made in line with the directive of the authority of the party at the national level.
He said the Committee would be attending to petitions and complaints from members of the party before coming up with its findings.
“I want to thank Mr. Governor for personally being available to receive us. We are the committee appointed and inaugurated sometimes in November last year to serve as members of the reconciliatory committee on issues that border on relationship and institutional matters.
“We have done much on the northern states and we started that of Southwest on Thursday in Lagos. Yesterday, we were in Ogun State, and today, we are in Osogbo, the Osun State capital city.
“As a matter of tradition and respect, when we go to a State like this, where our party is in power, we owe it a duty to pay courtesy visit on the Governor, because here (Government House) is our home, to announce and inform him we are in his land. That is what brought us here. After this, it is our intention to see what efforts had been made on those who petitioned. If they are identifiable, we want to meet with them.
“After meeting them, we will come back to our home to meet the Governor and our party so that if there is any allegation or accusation from the petition received, and after listening to the petitioners, we will listen to the responses in order to ensure fair hearing from all the parties involved.
“Our intention here is to maximize the opportunity of getting evaluation of relevant materials after which we will go to Abuja and sit as a committee and develop what we have in the report, which we will share with the authority of the party at the national level that appointed us.
“That is what we are here for. Once again, we appreciate the solidarity and love you have shown to receive us. It is our hope that we will have the cooperation to succeed from you, the government and, of course, our genuine party members”, he added.
In his response, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola assured the Committee of his Administration’s absolute cooperation and support to carry out the exercise.
He expressed confidence in the composition and ability of the members of the Committee to dispense justice and ensure fair play throughout the exercise.
The Hope
