APC must not ignore Ekiti South agitation ―Faparusi

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State and governorship aspirant, Mr Bamidele Faparusi, has warned that the party risked losing the contest if it fails to pick from its aspirants from the South Senatorial district of the state.

Faparusi, a member of the seventh National Assembly, who addressed newsmen while featuring at “My Agenda”, a programme by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti Council, noted that the agitation for a governor from the south district was active and must not be taken with kid’s gloves as the contest hots up.

He said the party must accept the zoning agitation by picking its candidate from the South senatorial district, which has not produced a governor of the state since 1999.

Faparusi held that the people of the Southern senatorial district of the state were already feeling shortchanged as the July 14 election approaches, hinting that with the emerging power rotation, the people were determined to vote against any party that jettisoned zoning in the election.

He said: “I believe so much in zoning not because I am from the south, but for the sake of equity, justice and fair play. Ekiti South people can’t be treated as second-class citizens in their own state. This is wrong, undemocratic and unacceptable.”

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Reacting to a letter by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he X-rayed the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, Faparusi said the letter didn’t pass a verdict of failure on President Buhari.

According to him, “Obasanjo has inalienable right to assess the present government as an elder statesman. However, his observation on the happenings in the areas of economy and insecurity under this government didn’t connote that Buhari has failed Nigerians.”

He maintained that Buhari was doing well, saying “there is no magic President Buhari can perform with the level of corruption perpetrated under former President Goodluck Jonathan. He just has to re-strategise and rebuild, and that is exactly what he is doing.”

Unveiling his agenda, Faparusi promised to rebuild Ekiti’s economy through what he termed (ATT), meaning commercial agriculture, technological innovation and tourism.

He said: “Ekiti has a lot of mountains and prayer centres. We can build them into a global standard as spiritual tourist centres like we have in Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Ikogosi Warm Spring, Arinta Waterfall and the rolling Efon hills are other tourist potentials I will harness to make Ekiti the hub of economic growth in the South West.”