By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ekiti State, Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu, has declared that Ekiti will not make a mistake of electing a governor that would be controlled underground by a godfather during the July 14 governorship election.
He specifically described the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Prof Kolapo Olusola, as too feeble-minded to rule a sophisticated state like Ekiti.
The former banker said the people of the state knew that the deputy governor will be tied to the apron string of Governor Ayodele
Fayose , saying it would be a grave mistake for him to be elected having realised that he would be teleguided by his principal.
Osinkolu, a senatorial aspirant for the 2019 elections Ekiti North District, spoke in Ifaki Ekiti on Friday during the campaign of the APC candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi in Ido/Osi local
government area.
The APC chieftain said Fayemi remained the best man for the job, based on his experience as a former governor and minister.
“At various fora , we have heard Governor Fayose calling his deputy governor, now being positioned for the governorship seat, his boy.
“Governor Fayose didn’t only refer to him as his boy, he used to say it with pride and derision. So, Ekiti won’t elect a man that can’t
stand on his feet..
“When Dr. Fayemi was the governor of the state in his first term, he was not controlled by anybody, either within or outside Ekiti. He led
Ekiti based on his exposure and self-confidence.
“What we need in Ekiti, a state with little resources, is someone who can think on his own and manage our resources and not an individual that will depend on counsel from his principal before taking decisionsâ€, he stated.
Osinkolu appealed to Ekiti voters to vote massively for Dr Fayemi in the election in the interest of the collective destiny of Ekiti people.
He expressed confidence that Ekiti would benefit more, if it had a
governor who can leverage President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led government at the centre to attract federal presence to the state.
“Ekiti must belong to the federal, because an opposition can only benefit if the governor can be submissive enough to have good working
relations with the president, not minding their political differences.
“Governor Fayose is a known enemy of President Buhari and he has remained unrepentant with this and I know he will want the enmity to continue if he succeeds in installing Prof. Olusola, and Ekiti will be the
loser in the end.
“These are the factors our electorate must consider. Ekiti has a very weak economy and it neds the patronage of the federal government and probably bilateral relations with more economically viable states to enhance prosperity.
“But the foregoing will continue to be a mirage in Ekiti, because PDP is a bad brand that can’t attract anybody to the stateâ€, he added.
