Vote buying is evil ― SDP guber candidate

“VOTE buying is evil. We will not buy votes because anyone who does is only buying the office of the governor as a commercial venture. We will run a campaign that is real; we will go to the people, knock on their doors and explain to them to vote their conscience. We shall appeal to them to vote for us because we are bringing sincerity to governance.”

These were the words of the gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo state, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), on Friday at his campaign office in Ibadan where he kicked off his campaign on Friday.

Ayorinde declared that government has become a drain on the people and that residents and people of Oyo state have no business with being poor or in want as the state is blessed. He added that he will be running a campaign of ideas and policies while he will reorder the priorities of government from a contract happy one to one that focuses on the people.

“We shall be asking the electorate to choose between us and others who have jointly with their sponsors put our people in abject poverty despite the enormous resources at their disposal. We shall demystify government. Our administration will be people-oriented and all-inclusive.

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“Oyo state is not poor; we are suffering from leakages due to the diversion of funds to wasteful ventures. Past governments have made finance and inability to pay workers’ salaries an issue of regret and pain for the people particularly in the civil service. There is no rocket science in dealing with this. We shall reduce the cost of governance and public procurement.

“Transparency shall be our hallmark. If we plug wastes and don’t indulge in grandiose projects, you will be surprised at how easy it will be to pay salaries. If there is no waste and corruption, the resources of the states including Internally Generated revenue will be sufficient for all,” he stated.

Ayorinde explained further that his vision includes infrastructural development that revolves around priority areas as “infrastructure development must be impactful on the people. We shall eradicate all slums in our cities. Innovatively, we shall form a partnership with local government and resident associations all over the state to tackle environmental issues across the state.”

He called on the media to enlighten the public not to sell their votes and mortgage the future of their children. “We rely on you to educate the people not to sell their votes, to say no to vote buyers who cannot mean well for our people.

“Let us all be vigilant with our electoral agency, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, Army, DSS and other security agencies, we all have a stake in the future of our state and country,” he said.

Ayorinde, who was supported by his Deputy Governorship candidate, Alhaja Mufidat Adenike Gariba, listed as focal points of his agenda to include education, agriculture, health, environment, law and order, youth support, waste elimination, justice delivery system and infrastructural development that will be impactful on the people.