The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ondo State governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), has said he will outperform Governor Rotimi Akeredolu when elected governor of the state.
Mr. Jegede who was at the Ondo State Governorship debate put together by Channels Television told his counterpart from the All Progressives Congress (APC) that claims of having impacted the lives of the Ondo People in the last three and half years are not evident.
At the debate, Governor Akeredolu was given an opportunity to ask his opponent a question, asked Mr. Jegede if he hasn’t seen the impact of good governance after touring the state, a question to which the PDP candidate replied, “Unfortunately, I have not seen much”.
The former commissioner for justice and attorney general of Ondo State further looked the governor in eyes and said “all I can say sir is that I will do more than you”.
Mr. Jegede went on to tell Mr. Akeredolu that he will love to be in the governor’s shoes and have people compare his administration to that of the present government.
Reacting to Mr. Jegede’s claims, Governor Akeredolu said there is evidence of all developmental claims made by his government.
In trying to drive his point home, the governor boasted of delivering on his promises to the Ondo people citing various projects including the road leading to Mr. Jegede’s home in Akure, the state capital.
Earlier on in the debate, Mr Jegede told the viewing audience that it is time for a more holistic, honest, and practical view of governance.
Speaking on why he should be voted as governor of the state come Saturday, the Senior Advocate said his private and public sector experience makes him stand out from all other candidates.
Mr. Jegede further stated that his experience in both sectors has made him realise that at the moment things are not going well in the state, hence the need for a new face and a new positive change.
“I believe the time has come for us to have a more holistic, honest, and practical view at governance,” the PDP candidate said.
He revealed that his government if elected will grow the state’s economy and confront challenges in the health and education sectors.
On his part, Governor Akeredolu said the Ondo state needs a composed and focused leadership.
“All the time, I have always believed that Ondo State is blessed. We have everything, yet we needed a composed and focused leadership,” he said.
Governor Akeredolu vowed that if re-elected for a second term on October 10, he will turn around the economic fortunes of Ondo.
Speaking on the issue of security, the governor said he is confident that the recently launched security outfit, Amotekun, will address the security challenges in the state.
Explaining the rationale behind the creation of the agency, Akeredolu said the South-West governors came together to tackle the numerous security threats confronting the region.
“I am not pleased with the security architecture in the country. I am one of the strong advocates for multi-level policing. The country is ripe for it.
“Amotekun security initiative can never fail. I am saying it boldly that it can never fail. The Inspector-General of Police was supposed to be there, some DIGs all of us participated. This is a product of that summit.
“After the summit, we had gone into work in developing agenda for western Nigeria. We worked thoroughly over months.”
The governor explained that the state government has thoroughly trained operatives of the security outfit, noting that he is confident they will deliver in tackling the security challenges in the region.
