.….Ondo people craving, waiting for me.
……Reveals How he will convince Tinubu, APC leaders, members to win party’s ticket.
By: Ade Adeleke
A leading Governorship Aspirant platform of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Olusola Oke, has declared that the people are waiting and craving to have him to govern the state by supporting him to win the 2024 governorship election.
The Senior Advocate stated this in Akure during a media parley with newsmen.
On how he can win the gubernatorial ticket of the APC ahead of other Aspirants, Chief Oke said he has been working round the clock to convince national, state local government and ward leadership of the party on the need to support him to lead the party to victory.
The Aspirant enumerated some of the factors that placed him ahead of other governorship Aspirants under the APC, noted that the party would do lesser job to win the 2024 polls in Ondo State if he is picked as the Candidate.
Chief Oke said, “No doubt, governorship of a state is no longer an internal affair of a state, the leadership of the party, and the leadership of the country will also be interested. If this contest were to be influenced or to be determined alone locally, I believe very strongly that the people of Ondo State are craving for my leadership in this state.
“And I want to believe that I know President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one man that will never sit down in the comfort of his office or private room to drop a candidate or an aspirant of the party (in Ondo State), he would consider acceptability, popularity, competency, capacity and other factors to make the party to win (the governorship election) and excell in governance.
“I am confident that when all these factors are put on the table, I would be the most qualified person among other aspirants. Also the status of the aspirants, the thought, the perception of the people about each of every one of us would be look into consideration.
So I believe very strongly that what will determine the next governor of Ondo State would be your antecedent, level of your acceptability to the people and contribution to the party.
“I know that what I’m doing to secure the confidence of the leaders is putting my virtues on their table and I am aware of the fact that if am given the party ticket today, there would not be opposition parties in Ondo State. The PDP will rally their support for me, the Labour Party will do the same thing and the return would be very massive.
“Ondo State election is very critical to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, he know that we must not just win but win very well and they know that in this aspiration it is Oke and others and I am very sure that I will win this election.
“Ondo State needs a leader with vision, direction with sense of commitment not coming to fill any gap but to serve the people and what I’m looking for now is legacy because whether we like it or not, Ondo state is in its state of war at this moment and they needs a dogged fighter with a mission, direction and vision who will be able to change the narrative of our dear state.
“I believe that government can open opportunity towards tapping our minerals resources, which will even generated employment that will reduce criminality in our society and even generated income for our people. So the state is in its total state of collapse.
“I had all my education in the rural area, I am a part of the people, I understand their suffering, I had suffered a lot with them, my involvement in the recent accident had nothing to do other than bad road. So having suffered with them, I belief I am the right man for the job.
“The next governor of Ondo State must be a determined and focused person that will be ready to do the work and others, my dream and mission for Ondo state is that we cannot continue to wait in the same manner for another four years.
“Unless we change the directions, narratives and others we cannot move forward in this state, and I am the right man for the job. We need to take Ondo state to the level of riches and God has given us all everything that we need. So it is in our interest for society to grow, for development to be in Ondo State and when all these things happen we will all be the beneficiaries.
“All our problems didn’t start with APC government, they have been there, Olusegun Agagu came in to addressed some of those problems, and let me say that everybody running for governorship position has his own ideas, dream and mission to govern and such person will want to go according to his understanding and philosophy of development and others,” Chief Oke said.
I’VE TOLD AIYEDATIWA I’M RUNNING FOR APC TICKET, says Oke
Agovernorship aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, has informed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa that he is running for the APC governorship ticket.
But Oke noted that Aiyedatiwa is yet to tell him if he will contest or not.
This year’s election will be the fourth time Oke will be making attempt to govern the state.
In 2012, Chief Oke was a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In 2016, he left the PDP to contest on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and in 2020; he lost the APC primary to the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Oke said he knew Ondo State people desired his services.
He said: “The death of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu caused elevation and de-elevation, parity and disparity in the politics and governance of Ondo state. But the truth of the matter is that what would influence the leadership is who can do the job.
“Before late Akeredolu travelled out, I met him in Ibadan to brief him about my aspiration and desire to succeed him and when I came back to this state, I went straight to Lucky Aiyedatiwa to brief him too that I will be running for the position of governor and he told me that it didn’t come to him as a breaking news, that he knew that I had been on this and that I am very serious about it. But he (Aiyedatiwa) has not briefed me about his own ambition.
“But let me say that my vision to govern Ondo state is for an appointed time.
“Ondo state needs a leader with vision, direction with sense of commitment not coming to fill any gap but to serve the people and what I’m looking for now is legacy because whether we like it or not, Ondo state is in its state of war at this moment and it needs a dogged and government fighter with a mission, direction and vision who will be able to change the narrative of our dear state.