Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Muhammadu Buhari, said he was in the July 14 governorship race in Ekiti to rescue the state from poverty and under-development.
He stated this on Thursday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen after picking his Expression of Interest Form and Nomination Form at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat.
“For me, this is not an ambition, but a mission to rescue our dear state; our state has been maligned, battered, abused and deprived.
“There is abject poverty in the state and communicable diseases are robbing shoulder with our people,” Ojudu said.
He decried the dearth of employment opportunities in the state, saying that its unemployment rate was perhaps, the highest in the country.
The president’s aide noted that apart from civil service and teaching jobs, there was no other form of employment in the state, adding that even civil servants had not been paid for close to one year.
“The people are facing problems and have lost confidence in the present government . Over the years, scammers and gangsters have governed us and has led us to where we are today,” he said.
“I cannot continue to look on as if there is no problem; that is why I am leaving my comfort zone in Abuja to go and participate and rescue our people.’’
He added that his aspiration to govern the state was not about him, but about Ekiti re-bith, adding that he already had a plan that would ensure that the state became a shining light for the rest of the country.
“Yes, we have no money because what we collect from the Federation Account as monthly allocation is paltry, but we are educated and know what we are doing because we are innovative,” the aide said.
He added that if elected, his administration would embark on an aggressive cultivation of cocoa and mobilise the private sector to set up processing factories in the state.
Ojudu said he would also ensure that the people of the state went back to agriculture using modern farming equipment.
“We are going to invest heavily on tourism; we will convert the new governor’s villa on the hilltop in Ado-Ekiti to Yoruba museum of history and monument because we don’t need that,” he said.
He further said that he would invest in youths by setting up training centres where they could learn skills that would take them out of the street.
The former lawmaker added that if elected, his administration would give priority to Information Technology, economy and security of lives and property in the state.
He, however, debunked reports that he was the anointed candidate of Buhari for the race,
“Let me say this, I am not the president’s candidate. I’m nobody’s candidate. The president is a father to all of us.
He stressed that he had what it take to win the party´s ticket and the governorship election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ekiti governorship election is slated for July 14.
