GOVERNORSHIP aspirant on the platform of Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) in Ekiti State, Reverend Tunde Afe, has asked the Ekiti State electorate to reject the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July governorship election in the state. Reverend Afe, who is the General Overseer of the House of Faith Christian Centre, Ado Ekiti, who spoke in the Ekiti State capital, decried the 215,000 permanent voter cards (PVCs) that we’re yet to be claimed by prospective voters in the state, saying it was not a thing to relish.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced that 215,000 PVCs were yet to be claimed by their owners in the state, and Afe, in reaction expressed worries that “this may hinder the people’s desire to elect the right person in the poll.”
He said the electorate should endeavour to collect their PVCs, and said “this is a worrisome development because, in 2014, only 370,000 people voted out of the 732,166 registered voters. This trend must change for us to be able to effect a change.”
Speaking on his desire to govern the state on the platform of ANRP, the cleric advised it was time the people of the state sought some other options from PDP and APC he described as “devilish”, saying his party offered the abundant life Nigerians desired.
Afe who spoke at a programme to mark his birthday claimed that the poor leadership style of the two political parties had “brought untold hardship on the people of the state”, saying this spurred him into aspiring for the governorship of the state to rescue the masses.
The cleric promised to invest heavily in human capital development and the tourism potential of the state by developing Ikogosi Warm Spring, the rolling hills at Efon, Arinta Waterfall and Iyin Cave to a world standard to revamp the economy.
He said: “Our people have realized that the money they collected before brought them this hopeless situation, so they have changed their psychology and I know the money will fail both PDP and APC in Ekiti. We have no looters or moneybags in our party, but we have men of integrity.
“The trajectory of politics in the state since 1999 shows that both the PDP and APC have failed the people, our people now need another credible platform and that is ANRP. The two parties have been given the opportunities and they have shown that they were bad change agents.”
The clergyman added through those who had governed the state have contributed their own quotas, insisting that the level of poverty could not have reached this frightening level if they have been “selfless and purposeful.”
“What we intend to do is to bring a paradigm shift through robust commercial agriculture, encourages the teachers through training to be able to change our education for better, encourages entrepreneurial training for youths and develop our tourism potential through a public-private partnership.
“The Ikogosi warm spring has two of its kinds across the globe, the second one is in Belgium and 40 percent of revenue base of that country comes from that warm spring. We are going to go into partnership with that country to develop our own.
“The rolling hills and other mountains will be developed through PPP like they did in Ethiopia to make Ekiti the hub of tourism in Africa,” he promised