2018: Why PDP May Lose in Ekiti, Ex-Envoy Predicts

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Amb. Dare Bejide, has predicated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may lose the next governorship election slated for 2018 in Ekiti State if the leaders impose unpopular candidate.

He also told the party to pick candidate from aspirants from the Ekiti South Senatorial District, for fairness, equity and justice to be entrenched in the state’s politics.

Bejide said it was right and apt time for the governorship slot which had been shared between North and Central senatorial districts of the state in the last 20 years of the existence of the state to move to the South Senatorial District which is yet to produce a governor.

In a statement in Ado Ekiti on Saturday , Bejide appealed to people of the State to continue to give their supports to the PDP to ensurecontinuation of the giant strides that PDP governments had bequeathed to the state.

“The people of Ekiti State owe it a duty to continue to vote for the PDP. Almost all the development projects and programmes in the state came into being under PDP governments. The 2018 election should ensure continuity which would be added advantage.

“Also, in the spirit of equity and fairness, the next governor of Ekiti State should come from the South Senatorial District. Our senatorial district is the only one yet to produce a governor 20 years after creation of the state despite being the largest and having the highest number of local governments areas among the three senatorial districts,” he stated.

Bejide, who spoke on the need to take the next level of development in the interest of the people, assured that his administration would build on the existing infrastructures development and as well fashion out ways of generating revenue to develop the state.

The PDP governorship hopeful promised to change the state from civil service economy to an industrialised one through creation of necessary enabling environment such as power supply, good roads, tax relief and easy access to land among other infrastructures to attract investors to the state.

The former envoy said he would restore the lost glory of Ekiti area in agriculture when it used to be the economic hotbed of the South West Region and indeed the country in terms of cultivation of food and economic crops, adding that the vast fertile land in the state would be harnessed for agriculture.

According to Bejide, who said necessary assistance in terms of improvised seedling, finance, equipment and storage facilities would be given to farmers to encourage them, the state would engage in mechanised commercial farming to provide food, boost economy and create employment opportunities.

He said education would be given a boost with implementation of student-friendly programmes and schemes to give the future of the state solid footing and boost human resources capacities.