LG poll: Don’t lobby me for imposition, Oyebanji warns aspirants

Ahead of the forthcoming local government election in Ekiti State, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has warned aspirants not to mount pressure on him or lobby him to impose them on the party as candidates.

Oyebanji, who reiterated his stand about the process of producing candidates without any form of imposition, added that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring credible and acceptable candidates emerge for chairmanship and councillorship positions.

In preparation for the 2024 Appropriation Bill, the Governor said his government would be strategic in the execution of projects, and whatever would be undertaken would be based on collective requests from communities and local governments.

Governor Oyebanji stated this in Ido-Ekiti during a town hall meeting with stakeholders in the Ekiti North Senatorial District, comprising Ido/Osi, Moba, Ilejemeje, Ikole, and Oye local government areas, in preparation for the 2024 budget.

The aggregate of the demands that emanated from the five councils centred chiefly around road infrastructure, electrification, health facilities, and school infrastructure.

According to him, “I will be fair to all of you. I am a process person, so nobody should put me under pressure because the party has been handed into the hands of the leaders.

They are the owners of the party, so all of you, particularly the contestants, must cooperate with them. I am not going to impose on anybody.

“Many of you are now scrambling for council positions because you now consider it juicier, even than commissionership.

Whoever doesn’t respect the leaders of the party will mismanage the councils if elected. I have instructed the leaders to take charge. Those running from pillar to post, I wish them well, but I am with the party.”

Oyebanji mandated the incoming local government chairmen who will be elected in December to consult widely and feel the pulse of the people before executing any project in any town, saying project siting must be based on demand by communities.

Responding to the demands made by the representatives of each council area, Governor Oyebanji said he promised during the electioneering that his government would be inclusive and a replica of the immediate past government of Governor Kayode Fayemi, which believed firmly in the people as the powerhouse of any administration.

Oyebanji assured the people that his government has its eyes fixed on delivering on the promises made to the people and that he would not get distracted or derailed from actualizing his dream for the state.

He, however, told the gathering that the government might not have the financial muscle to actualise all the demands in the 2024 budget, stressing that part of the reason for the stakeholders’ meeting was to prioritise the demands.

“I am going to deliver everything I promised the Ekiti people. I am not going to be distracted. I have my plans, and I will follow them to the letter. You are my employer, and I have a duty to always come and feed you back.

“In every 100 days, I have been doing a state-of-the-state programme with you. It was a feedback mechanism. I have done that in the Ekiti North, Central, and South districts.

The next one will be in Central. Being a leader doesn’t mean I am the most brilliant or all-knowing. I don’t know it all, so I need your input on whatever I do.

“We have just spent a year in the saddle; you will see that by the time we spend two or three years, you will start enjoying the fruits of what we have done,” he said.

Besides placing a high premium on road construction, Oyebanji stated that his government would make a tremendous impact on electricity generation, job creation, the economy, information and communication technology, and health facilities, describing them as also pivotal to the growth of any society.

On the abysmal state of some federal roads, Oyebanji clarified that it would be difficult to undertake the renovation of such roads without a commitment that the money expended would be refunded to the state.

On the disquiet in town over the preponderance of trucks from the northern part of the country plying Ekiti roads and destroying them, the Governor said he won’t drive them away from Ekiti but will contrive ways of making economic capital out of their presence.

He said, “I won’t send any trailers out of Ekiti; they are doing their business and they can add their values. The trailer movement itself is an economy.

We are looking at constructing a trailer pack here so that these people can come here and do their businesses and also contribute to the growth of our economy.”

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Mohbad’s procession: Why we fired tear gas at Lekki Tollgate — Lagos Police

Lagos Police Command has revealed reason for firing canisters at some residents at Lekki Tollgate who stormed…

FCTA revokes Peter Obi, 164 others’ lands

High-profile individuals, including the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and former…

Why eating two bitter kolanuts daily is beneficial for men — Study

Researchers, in a new study, said bitter kola because of its kolaviron content can protect against…

10 big lies told by Tinubu-led administration — Atiku’s Spokesman, Shaibu

Following claims made by the presidency in recent times that were later found to be inaccurate, Phrank Shaibu, the Special Assistant on…

#BBNaijaAllStars: I got betrayed by my team, they sold my votes — Whitemoney

Whitemoney, a former BBNaija ‘All Stars’ housemate, has shared insights into the challenges he faced during…

Why Tinubu must sack his US lawyer

When Chief Obafemi Awolowo died in 1987, amid a deluge of musical tributes in his honour, a line among…