Former Ekiti State Commissioner for Works and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant Chief Oladiran Adesua spoke with ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on his ambition to rule the Fountain of Knowledge.
Why do you want to govern Ekiti State?
I think I am not only good for the job, like others, I am better because unlike others there are four qualities a person aspiring for the post must have. You must know Ekiti like the palm of your hand. You must be knowledgeable about the stakeholders who constitute your party. You must have the knowledge of the problems of Ekiti first hand. And you should know the potentials of Ekiti. For instance, the greatest problem confronting the state is unemployment. There is no village in Ekiti that you won’t find at least five unemployed graduates. So, to me this is a great problem that must be tackled headlong. Remember the saying that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. It will interest you to know that you can’t access the roads leading to Ekiti from outside and without good road leading to the state you cannot expect development to happen. Also, electricity supply in the state is bad. For the APC to provide good leadership in the next dispensation, it must field the right candidate like me.
Less than two years to the governorship poll, the APC remains factionalised…
What you call intra-party crisis is not peculiar to Ekiti APC. But I don’t believe that the party is factionalised. The crisis that you are talking about is a tendency that happens when you are not in government. You can understand the frustration of people. I can assure you that immediately the very formidable aspirants start to show up, those tendencies will naturally cease to exist. I know of a fact that we don’t have intractable crisis in our party, because we are a big family. As time goes on, the issues would be resolved.
What is your assessment of the Ayodele Fayose-led government?
In answering your question, I will be biased. Nevertheless, let me start by saying that in terms of infrastructure, he is doing some work here and there. He is doing the flyover. But, whether or not he has got his priorities right is the issue. However, personally, my priorities will differ from his. More importantly, in terms of the overall welfare of Ekiti citizens, I will score him zero. I was formerly a civil servant. I could not have imagined that workers could be owed seven months salaries, pensioners more than seven months and gratuities have not been paid in four years. This is more than hardship. The state is regarded as a civil servants’ state. Therefore, monthly salaries go a long way to grow the economy. I want to believe that it is only by the grace of God that they are surviving.
Why did the APC lose the last governorship poll in Ekiti?
Our party lost that election because there was a total disconnect between the government and the people. That was basically the reason we lost that election. Therefore, the lessons to be learnt are that those who are elected must be on the same page with the people. The party must avoid a repeat of that defeat by electing those who are loved by the people.
Given what happened in Ondo, do you still have confidence in the Odigie-Oyegun-led leadership to conduct a credible primary in Ekiti?
Our party did what was right in Ondo State. I have been in politics long enough to know that when primary is conducted, some people are bound to be aggrieved. There will be allegations and counter-allegations. As time goes on, such would be resolved. Today in Ekiti, we have about 20 aspirants, but with time, it will be streamlined. My faith doesn’t lie in Odigie-Oyegun, but in the delegates who will vote in Ekiti.
The Nation