Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Prof. Kolakpo Eleka, has said that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has failed, saying that he would restore it to its lost glory if given the opportunity to lead the state.
Speaking to correspondents shortly after submitting his expression of interest and nomination forms at PDP national secretariat in Abuja at the weekend, the former deputy governor said he is well equipped to sustain the legacy of his party and improve the welfare of the people.
He said: “The current APC government in Ekiti state has failed the people of Ekiti state. In the area of infrastructural development, the roads they are constructing, before they even finish constructing, the road is already collapsing. Ekiti people are yearning for a government that will be at home, a governor that will be ready to listen to the people and a governor that is ready to show leadership.
“APC has failed the state, they have underperformed.”
Eleka boasted of his experience in government, which he said put in the the position to make critical decisions in the interest of Ekiti people.
He explained: “I served for four years as deputy governor and I had the priviledge of representing Ekiti state government at very top levels including the National Economic Council; standing in for my governor severally at the Nigeria governors forum and that has given me a wide range of exposure in areas of administration, in areas of governence in areas of leadership in areas of even politics. Where I was made to serve, I made noticable impact. We recorded excellent success in area of education in Ekiti State.
“If I was able to do that as a deputy governor, that means that if I am given the opportunity to serve as the governor of the state, I will now have the opportunity to make critical decisions in every sector.
“Not only that, I am also committed to the welfare of my party members and sustaining the legacies of Peoples Democratic Party.”
Eleka, who was the PDP governorship candidate in the 2018 exercise, affirmed that the division in the state chapter of the PDP that led to the loss of the 2018 poll has been put behind the party.
He praised the Senator Bukola Saraki-led reconciliation committee for its good work in bringing the members togather.
Eleka remarked: “First of all we must commend the efforts of our leaders at the national level for setting up the reconciliation committee headed by Senator Bukola Saraki who have been going round all over the nation to ensure that there is harmony and there is unity within the party. I think that their actions had impacted tremendously and in a positive manner as far as the unity of our members are concerned.
“We should always remember that even within every family, there is bound to be diverse interest, there are bound to be little disagreements here and there. But the most important thing is to be able to have an internal mechanism within the family to resolve all disputes and this is what our national leadership is doing.
“It’s not only in Ekiti, it’s not only in PDP that you have internal disputes. As far as we are concerned in Ekiti State, we believe that we are one family, we believe that we are united and we are going to face that election more united by the grace of God.”
On the relationship with former governor Ayo Fayose under whom he was deputy governor, the aspirant said they remain friends but with different individual interests.
He further said: “His Excellency, Gov. Peter Ayodele Fayose is a good leader and we will always hold him in high esteem as our leader. I served under him as deputy governor for four years and there was no single day we had any quarrel, any disagreement. Today there could be differences in interest but there is nothing like in-fighting there is nothing like quarrel.
“He has a constitutional right to support any aspirant he desires. He may have his own reasons and you cannot take that away from him. I also have the constitutional right to make a decision to contest. My self and Fayose remain members of one family, he is my leader and remains my leader and we will continue to work together in harmony. So, there is no quarrel, it’s is individual interest that differ and we are going to work together as a united family.”
Prof. Eleka said if he is elected governor, he would run “shield agenda” to rebuild broken walls and break new grounds in Ekiti State.
According to him, “My agenda covers certain area which I call the shield agenda. My agenda is rebuilding the broken walls and discovering new grounds. Ekiti State is more or less like a landlocked state. Our economy in Ekiti state today is nothing to write home about.
“There is a need to bring out Ekiti state from this status of civil servant state to the committee of commercially and industrial viable state where we will be able to generate a lot of internal revenue and use those revenue judiciously to develop the state, encourage investors to come in so that we don’t continuously rely on allocation from the federal government always.
“If we are able make Ekiti state investment friendly and launch it into the committee of economically and industrially viable state, then I believe Ekiti State is going to get there by the grace of God.
“We have the potential, we have the comparative advantage in Agriculture. If we explore these avenue, we are going to get the best.”
He expressed his preparedness to accept a consensus arrangement in the race as long as it would lead the PDP to victory in the election.
“The constitution of our party allows justice, fairness, equity, transparency, objectivity.
“A free and fair primary where the most acceptable candidate will emerge is the best. I know that national PDP will not do anything that will make us fail in Ekiti. The era is imposition has gone. I trust that the national leadership will do what is right.
“So it is not just a matter of saying consensus. What is the bases of the consensus? Will the consensus lead us to winning elections? These are the questions that need to be answered and if they can be answered in the positive, why not?” he maintained.
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