By Adejoke Adetade
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, and one of the governorship aspirants in the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State, Otunba Emmanuel Ajisafe Fayose, has pledged not to forget his source if elected as governor of the state.
Otunba Fayose made the pledge recently during his familiarisation tour to the 16 local governments of the State which began in Ekiti Central Senatorial District ahead of the primary and governorship elections in the State.
The governorship aspirant who explained that he’s not a new person in Ekiti, told both the party leaders and members that he would run an open, transparent and transformative government if given the opportunity in 2026 gubernatorial election.
“I want you to accept me and support my ambition. Let us plan, hatch and enjoy the dividends together. I promise I will represent you very well.”
Describing the gale ofendorsements for the second term bid of the state Governor, Biodun Oyebanji as inconsequential. Fayose stated that such won’t determine victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the gubernatorial election.
The familiarisation tour captured all the five local governments in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, comprising Ado, Ijero, Efon, Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ekiti West,
while the tour to Local Government Areas in Ekiti North and South Senatorial Districts will hold in the subsequent weeks as he promised.
While soliciting the support of the PDP leaders and executive officers to get the party’s ticket at the primary, he maintained that his reason for joining the contest is to correct the misgovernance and misappropriation of public funds under the present administration of the APC, and to ensure unity, oneness and victory for PDP in the coming elections in the state.
Addressing the party members in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government, Fayose maintained that he is a thorough and well-bred son of the local government. Adding that he is bold and courageous enough to approach his people for support and prayers as he declared to contest for the governorship position.
“I came here today to greet you and to let you know about my ambition to contest for governorship election under this great party, PDP in 2026. It is evidently clear that, without you behind me, nothing can be achieved, therefore, I solicit your support and prayer towards realising this goal and I believe it will surely come to pass,” said he.
Reacting to the roles played by his elder brother, Former Governor Ayodele Fayose, in the party, the governorship aspirant said he has been in the party since year 2,000 saying he has nowhere to go. He asserted that he has come to join hands with the party leaders to build and not to destroy the party.
“it is evidently clear that same parents will always give birth to twins, but I want to point out that their characters, manners and approach to issues are different. The two cannot act the same way and cannot have the same mindsets. Therefore, I should be judged for who I am and not for what my brother is.”
Stressing that he has come to surpass other governors who had earlier governed the state in terms of achievements and ready to use his vast experience in administration and those garnered through his trips to different parts of the world to improve on what others have done.
Otunba Fayose noted that when PDP was in government, things were easy for the masses. He urged the party members to have faith and believe that the PDP will win the next governorship election in the state.
“Nobody knows the mystery behind every woman’s pregnancy, let us have faith that all the Goliath’s on our way will fall and God will overturn them on our behalf.
“I have come today to present myself to you as the aspirant under our great party, PDP, to occupy the government house come 2026. By the special grace of God and the support of all of you in the party, we shall reach the promise land,” he said.
The ICT guru and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Specialist, who is optimistic that his party, PDP, will win the next election affirmed that though there is crisis currently in the party which according to him, it is being looked into and that by God’s grace, it will be resolved. He said PDP is now one house and if they can go into the elections in oneness that they would defeat the APC because now, there is hunger in the land and people are suffering due to bad governance.
Otunba Fayose condemned the gale of endorsements for the re-election bid of Oyebanji, “the endorsements are baseless, weightless, inconsequential and cannot determine the success of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.”
Speaking further, he said Oyebanji does not deserve a second term in office because he has been wasteful with the state’s resources and that, there is no develop in Ekiti State. “There is nothing meaningful to point at. There is no justification for the allocations coming to the state’, Fayose maintained.
“There is nothing to show for all the allocations he has been receiving for almost three years. No project has been concessioned since assumption of office. The endorsements cannot guarantee his victory. They cannot hold water.”
The politician noted that those behind the endorsements and praise singing Oyebanji are his direct beneficiaries who have been siphoning the state’s money along with the people in office.
“What I know is that the people’s mandate matters and the mandate given to Oyebanji is expected to yield results or dividends for the people of the state and these are not forthcoming, that is to tell you that the endorsements were bought and by God’s grace come 2026, I am going to take that mandate because I am challenging the mandate he has mismanaged.”
In their separate remarks, the party Chairmen for, Ado and Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Governments, Hons. Femi Odeyemi and Ademola Alade, commended the courage of Otunba Fayose for coming out at this time to salvage the party from total collapse.
The party chairman in Ado Local Government, Hon. Femi Odeyemi, said the PDP will be victorious in next year’s poll. He noted that PDP is the only party that remembers the masses, ensures that the people are well represented and taking care of whenever they are in government.
“I salute our Excellency, Otunba Emmanuel Fayose, I also greet our party leaders who stood by the party through thick and thin to ensure that the party did not die. It is only someone with courage that can come out to vie for governorship position at this present time when the party is undergoing a big difficulty. “We are grateful to you. and God will answer your prayers,” he said.
His counterpart in Irepodun/ Ifelodun Local Government, Hon. Ademola Alade, on behalf of party members in the local government expressed their joy in receiving the governorship aspirant who is also a son of the soil. He noted that the party needs a unifier, someone who can mobilise and bring people together, the qualities which he said he saw in Otunba Fayose.
“The era of people selling us out is gone. We struggled to be here. All our people here struggled to be on these seats today and we don’t want to witness the last experience which was not palatable for us at all. We know your pedigree and we are counting on you with confidence that people like you can salvage the party,” he said.
Among those present at the meetings were party leaders, Chairmen, other executive members and supporters among others.
