GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, on Saturday, sought for more support if the people of Ado Ekiti, the state capital, when the 2018 governorship election takes place, saying he wants 101,000 votes from the town.
Governor Fayose, who spoke on Saturday at the grand finale of the 2017 Udiroko Festival of the Ado Ekiti people, said he appreciated the 31,000 votes difference with which he won the governorship election in 2014 but said he wanted more from the people.
Fayose noted that he got the people’s votes in 2014 as a candidate and said “now that I’m a chief of Ado Ekiti, I’m seeking your support. Ado people will vote for your flyover, Ado people will vote for your modern market. Next Udiroko, I want to come here with the new Ekiti State governor to celebrate with you.”
He said the jobs he had done for the community speak for themselves and assured that “all ongoing projects in the state would be completed before the end of my tenure. I will hand over the market to the Ado Ekiti people. The flyover would be completed by December. We will completed the high court complex and all the other projects.”
He said he had earned the support of the Ado Ekiti people and called for their continued support for his administration, and expressed appreciation that “the Ewi, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe and the other traditional rulers in the state for their roles in peace-keeping in the state and keeping Ekiti as one.”
In his address to the large gathering of Ado Ekiti sons, daughters, honourary chiefs, in laws, their friends and well wishers, Oba Adejugbe thanked Fayose for the various projects he had competed in the palace of the Ewi and the town, saying “we thank Governor Fayose for the numerous works in Ado Ekiti.”
The monarch said the Udiroko was significant to the people of Ado Ekiti because “it marks the beginning of a new year for us the Ado Ekiti people and on the occasion we appreciate God and pray for a prosperous year.”
He repeated his charge to the young to take to agriculture, saying “it is our natural occupation.”
The Ado Ekiti monarch said it was the numerous development projects in the town and in the Ewi’s palace that had made the community to decide to Honour Fayose with the title of Apesin of Ado Ekiti.
The monarch lauded the security agencies in the state, especially the police and the state government for the peace he said was enjoyed by the people of the state and Ado in particular.
In his remarks, legal luminary and chairman of the occasion, Chief Afe Babalola, said it was a “glorious day” for Ado Ekiti people” and described the 2017 Udiroko as “the most successful in recent history,” noting that Governor Fayose and former governor of Niger State and the Akinjagunla of Ado Ekiti, Dr Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu, had contributed to the development he said was being witnessed in the town.
The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) charged the Fayose, whim he described as “young, humble, dynamic, sincere and prudent governor of Ekiti State” to continue with what he was doing and justified the chieftaincy title given to Fayose.
Chief Babalola also thanked those he said made the creation of Ekiti State possible.
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