The Gubernatorial Candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Ondo<\/p>\n
State, Chief Olusola Oke on Monday congratulated Mr Rotimi Akeredolu of
\nthe All Peoples Congress (APC) who won last Saturday’s election even as he
\ndecried the heavy monetization of the election process which produced him.<\/p>\n
Oke who addressed the Press in Akure commended both the Independent
\nNational Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agents deployed to
\nthe State for being fair in the handling of their duties but regretted
\nthat the open and free use of money to purchase votes during the election
\nby the ruling parties remains a sad commentary on the nation’s electoral
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
This development, according to him, required the urgent intervention by
\ngovernment if the much publicized anti-corruption agenda of the Federal
\nGovernment must have meaning to Nigerians.<\/p>\n
His words: “in the last seven years, the policy direction of the
\ngovernment of the day ( in Ondo State) has resulted in the growth and
\ncirculation of poverty to our people.<\/p>\n
“The resultant effect is the debilitating poverty that had made the people
\nso vulnerable. Therefore, trading away dignity in the face of excruciating
\nhunger during electioneering process requires little or no considerations
\nfor morals and values that defined us as a people. The open and free use
\nof money to purchase votes, during the election by the ruling parties
\nremains a sad commentary on our electoral process. This requires urgent
\nintervention by government if the much publicized anti-corruption agenda
\nof the Federal Government must have meaning to Nigerians.<\/p>\n
“Offer of money for votes is worse than looting the government treasury.
\nApart from compromising the dignity of the people, it provides a fertile
\ntraining ground for future looters of government treasury. The consequence
\nof it is to render the anti-corruption fight a farce. There may be no
\neconomic matter more urgent, difficult to unravel and more sensitive to
\nthe pursuit of the average person in Ondo State than the current indignity
\nfoisted on the people by poverty orchestrated by maladministration and
\npriority misplacement by the current administration. We hope the incoming
\nadministration will address the problem of poverty so that the integrity
\nof our electoral process will be restored.”<\/p>\n
While noting that from the observation of the people of Ondo State, they
\nappear confused and unsure of what would follow the immediate
\nsatisfaction from the naira handout received in consideration of the
\nvotes cast.<\/p>\n
“They appear wondering whether the votes they delivered yesterday would
\nrestore light, revive dead industries, complete the uncompleted ones, give
\nhundreds of thousands of unemployed graduates employment, pay arrears of
\nsalary to workers and guarantee regular payment of salary; whether their
\nvotes will make water to flow again in their unused and rusted water
\npipes, reduce dust on our roads, revive our education and health sectors
\nand so on,” he stated.<\/p>\n
Oke, who recalled the event leading to his and his followers\u00a0 movement to
\nthe AD, said the movement was necessitated by the need for “us as
\ndemocrats and conscience of the people to shun the in-built perfidy and
\norganized deception in APC as revealed during its primary election.<\/p>\n
“We moved to AD less than six weeks before the gubernatorial election. We
\nknew it was a big challenge and the greatest challenge was time. But we
\nwere determined in the pursuit of our dream.<\/p>\n
“We know how bad the situation is and we are aware that the art of
\ngovernance is difficult and complex, especially during trying times. The
\nsteep reduction in global oil prices from over 120 dollars per barrel to
\nroughly 30 dollars and the huge debt profile of Ondo State present a hard
\nchallenge that requires a prepared mind and experienced hands in the
\nsaddle. We are convinced that we can no longer afford past practices.<\/p>\n
That was the compelling re-occurring issue that defined our struggle. We
\nthank the people of Ondo State who believed in the struggle of Alliance
\nfor Democracy and its candidate, Chief Olusola Oke.<\/p>\n
“Ondo State requires economic re-engineering, creative reform, materially
\nchanging the substance of its economic policy as well as the objectives of
\nthat policy in a way that the economic well-being of the people will be
\nrestored again. Therein lies the essence of progressive democratic
\ngovernance and that is what our party, the Alliance for Democracy stands
\nfor. The incoming government therefore must urgently address the issue of
\nravaging poverty in the state through: Industrialization; Job\/Wealth
\nCreation; Rural Integration; Infrastructural Development; Security,”<\/p>\n
He, therefore, assured that as members of the opposition, the AD shall
\ncontinue to contribute to the process of governance and would not hesitate
\nto point, in a civilized manner, the attention of the incoming government
\nto any area where the masses seem not to have been considered in the
\npolicy framework of governance.<\/p>\n
“We shall voice our opinion whenever we believe any member of the incoming
\ngovernment strayed from the progressive calling required of the
\nadministration,” he posited.<\/p>\n
He, therefore, congratulated the governor-elect, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN and
\nwish him success and praying to God to guide him “as he directs the
\naffairs of our dear state.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Gubernatorial Candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke on Monday congratulated Mr Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Peoples Congress (APC) who won last…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n