Guber election, not a do-or-die affair —Jegede

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ondo governorship election, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, on Monday, said that the coming election should not be seen as a do-or-die affair,

Jegede, who stated this, in Akure, the Ondo state capital during an interactive session with leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Ondo State chapter, led by their chairman, Rev. John Oladapo, tasked politicians on the common need to ensure that there is no bloodshed during this election.

He said his aspiration was borne out of his desire to take the state to greater heights stating, that only the people could give the nod through their votes.

“As far as I am concerned, this election is not a do-or-die affair. While I believe that by the grace of God I will win, I am not also desperate to win.

“I do not want bloodshed for whatever reason. That’s why I will appeal to you our fathers, the men of God, to pray for a peaceful election in the state.

“The truth is that, all of us cannot become governor. Only one person will win and we should not because of that resort to violence and other criminal acts. This very much we know in the PDP and we appeal to our rivals to let, as brothers and sisters, play the game according to the rules,” Jegede stated.

The PDP candidate, who unfolded his agenda cutting across education, industrialisation, employment and agriculture, said he would partner with religious bodies towards restoring moral values and developing the education sector generally.

He added that if elected, he would introduce moral education and civil ethics into the schools’ curricula and that, respective religious bodies would have great input in formulating the policy.

“I’m a product of a missionary school, Aquinas College, Akure, and I enjoy till date, the positive impact of the moral upbringing and discipline we had in our secondary school days,” he said.

Jegede also appealed to the people for patience in the face of ongoing economic hardship, stressing that if elected, he would swiftly embark on tax-friendly industrial projects that would provide massive jobs to cushion the effect of the present economic recession, assuring that workers’ welfare would be given great priority, if elected.

In his response, Rev Oladapo said CAN was keen in knowing what the contestants had in stock for the state, stating that a similar invitation for interactive session had been extended to the other contestants.

Speaking too, the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Rt. Rv. Jude Arogundade, urgedall residents of the state to pray for a peaceful election, “as we do not want bloodshed.”