- I Am Coming To Change The Lives Of EKITI People
Ahead of the Ekiti State governorship election this year, former Minister and National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, has declared his ambition for the governor’s seat. He was the first aspirant to do so. Despite unfavourable report and hostile body language of Gov. Ayodele Fayose, the former Minister had a colourful declaration on Wednesday, 24th January, 2018 at an open field opposite PAAM (Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement) House along Ikere-Ado road.
The declaration had in attendance thousands of his supporters across the 16 local government areas and 177 wards in Ekiti State at the popular NNPC mega station along Iworoko road to welcome Prince Adeyeye to the state. He used the opportunity to declare his interest in joining the governorship race.
His convoy of over 100 cars moved to Ado Ekiti, the state capital, where he was received by another set of PAAM supporters, who finally led him to the declaration field. The event, which caused traffic bottle-neck for more than 5 hours was the first of its kind in the political history of Ekiti State.
Adeyeye remains one of the frontline and influential political leaders in Ekiti State. He was the Chairman, Governing Council of Ekiti State University. This Lawyer and Journalist-cum-politician from Ise Ekiti was the Chairman of SUBEB (State Universal Basic Education Board) during ex-Gov Segun Oni’s administration and he also served as Minister for Works during President Jonathan’s administration.
He first contested governorship poll in 2006 and in 2014. He was one of the leading governorship aspirants in the PDP. He is the founder of PAAM (Prince Adedayo Adeleye Movement). His mother is from a Royal family in Ikere Ekiti, while his father was the late Kabiyesi in Ise Ekiti. City People’s ONDO/EKITI Correspondent, Adeola Shittu, was at his Ado residence after his declaration on Wednesday, where he spoke on his plan for Ekiti people. Below are excerpts of the interview.
Let me start by congratulating you on the outcome of your declaration for the Ekiti 2018 governorship race despite political threat, how do you feel?
Thank you very much, first of all, I will use this medium to appreciate the good people of Ekiti for showing me their support and giving me the assurance that they believe in me, so I will say I feel very elated, very happy and overwhelmed by the show of love and support. As our convoy moved through the town, we could see the enthusiasm on faces of our people. You see, I believe that support of our people in Ekiti State for our ambition is growing every day and today we remain the biggest political organisation whether party or no party in Ekiti State.
You are, one of the respected and well experienced politicians in the state, who has contributed to the growth and development of the state and at the national level. Will you say your role as the National Publicity Secretary of PDP prepared you for Ekiti 2018 governorship election, as compared to 2014?
I will say my position as the National Publicity Secretary of PDP had helped and exposed me more compared to 2014. You see, what you witnessed during my declaration was a result of years of pains-taken organisation and hard work. I stand to be corrected, that today in Ekiti State, PAAM is the biggest political organisation in the state and it is almost like a political party because we are in every nook and cranny of Ekiti State and our supporters are enthusiastic and passionate because they genuinely believe in our vision for Ekiti State and they are ready to give us their support.
So, it is not just my membership as the Caretaker National Publicity Secretary that made today possible, but a result of my years of working with the masses of Ekiti State, building structures in all the villages, towns, wards and local government areas throughout the state is the result of what we witnessed at the declaration venue on Wednesday, 24 January, 2018. You see, the crowd would have been twice the size of what we witnessed that day, but we decided that many of our members should not come, owing to the security challenges that we had.
A day to my declaration, we had a credible information from the Director of State Security Service (SSS) that some people where planning to cause trouble, so because of that information, we had to call all our people at the local government level that they should reduce the number of those coming for the declaration. You see, despite the threat of violence, the threat by the governor in particular, who instructed members of our political party not attend, I can authoritatively tell you that a week before my declaration, the governor had been sending messages to all party members not to attend my declaration.
The instruction was pass to every local government and ward in the state. A day to my event, the governor sent messages out that he wanted to have a retreat with all his political appointees and the elective officers on my declaration day. Despite all the moves, the good people of Ekiti State still turned out in large number at my declaration because I am ready for governance, I’m ready to do everything to attract investors to the state. You see, governance is beyond what we see in state, so I will say I’m ever ready to work and serve my people.
Going by the body language of the governor, do you see your party conducting a free and fair primary election in the next couple of months?
You see, left to the governor, he would like to play smart with the primary election because he would want his aspirant to emerge our party (PDP’s) standard bearer for the governorship election because in 2014, we know the role Abuja played on his emergence as the candidate. How it was manipulated, but this time round, we are not going to tolerant that from them. We believe that the national body would do the right thing, because we members of the Caretaker National Committee, conducted a free and fair election during the national convention that brought Secondus and other national officers to office.
The least they could do is to conduct a free and fair is primary election, which is the first, primary they are going to conduct a since they came to power a few months back. So, I will say Ekiti primary election is the first test for Chief Uche Secondus, the national chairman of our great party (PDP), if he messes up Ekiti PDP’s primary election, people would pass judgment on his leadership. So, I believe they would conduct a free and fair primary in Ekiti State. You see, if the primary is free and fair, there won’t be any problem, but if they come here to aid the so-call candidate of the governor, there will be great consequences.
During your declaration speech, you said you had the support of other PDP aspirants like Sen. Abiodun Olujimi, Barr. Owoseni Ajayi and Amb. Dare Bejide, have they endorsed you ahead of your party’s primary election, sir please clarify the speech?
I won’t want my speech to be misquoted, you see, the four of us are working together and they have not formally endorsed me, but we are working together and I believe that will be the ultimate result. You see, the major concern of our people now is to rescue the state from the path that the governor is leading her and our party. You see, we believe that individual’s ambition is not too important, rather we should all focus our strength and actions on the campaign and we should all support a sellable candidate from the south senatorial district. So, we are talking and we are working and I believe I’m fit for the job and I will do my best by the grace of God.
One of the key slogans of the incumbent governor’s campaign is continuity agenda, does PAAM believe or key into the continuity agenda?
You see, I don’t understand the continuity agenda of the governor and it also depends on the definition you are giving continuity. You see, if continuity is about continuing with his policies and programmes, I will say ‘No’. If it is installing his deputy as the governor, I will say ‘No’, but if it’s for PDP to continue in power, I will say ‘Yes’. So, it depends on what you mean by continuity.
As one of the leading aspirants in Ekiti state, do you see APC as a threat to your ambition of becoming the next governor of Ekiti state?
Not really, despite the crisis that is being manufactured unnecessarily within our party, there is no fear on my side, because APC is actually a dead party in Ekiti State. Much is not heard about their activities except having over 45 aspirants for one seat. Is that kind of party serious? They are doing nothing. They are not engaging the masses and they are out of touch with the masses. But PDP is made up of grassroots politicians, we make up with the masses, we empathize with them, we understand them, we interact with them and they like us. Another problem that APC leaders have is that the party is made up of elite and they behave like elite and this made them to be far away from the masses. So, I will say they are no threat to me as far as Ekiti state is concern.
As a politician, do you believe in ‘Not too Young to Run’ and how do you intend to encourage the youth?
I will surely encourage the youth because this life, everybody will have to run his or her own race. You see, the constitution of Nigeria allows anybody from the age of 30 years to run for the president of Nigeria, but I believe you will run your race when you are ready for it. You see, a time will come where people of 30/ 31 will be governors of the states. States like Ekiti State, you see, Obama left office as the President of the US at the age of 55, and he became the president at the age of 46 or 47, Kennedy became president at the age of 42, Donald Trump became president at the age of 70 after Obama.
So, it is not a matter of age. or no age, you see, God has planned the life of each person, the race that you will run, you see, some people will become president or governor at the age of thirty, while others would be at the age of seventy. That is how God has planned it. General Gowon was Head of state of Nigeria at 31 years. Now, Buhari is President at 75 years and the same Buhari earlier had been head of state at thirty something, so it is not, a question of encouraging youths or not, but when God prepares a man for an office, he will naturally step into it. So, we don’t need to force anything.
Today, the president of France is 39 years old, at a time, their former president was over 70 years, Nelson Mandela became the president at 72 or 73 years. So, we should not look at it that at a time some old politicians will quit the stage for the young ones, no if God gives capacity to any youth you can always become whatever you want to become as long as there is no constitutional impediment
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