Former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Oluwafemi Bamisile, has declared his intent to run for the governorship seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bamisile who held a rally in Ado Ekiti, the state capital yesterday to mark the end of his eighteen-month tour to all the 177 wards in 124 towns and villages said the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) administration has failed to live up to expectation.
The former Speaker advised Governor Ayo Fayose to start packing his personal effects from the Ado Ekiti Government House saying, “a movement to enthrone a people-oriented APC-led government has commenced.”
He boasted that a “political hurricane” would soon blow Fayose and his “government of deceit” away accusing the governor of unleashing more hardship on the people through harsh policies, misplacement of priorities, poverty of ideas and government by impulse.”
Bamisile had earlier held a rally at Okeyinmi Roundabout in the heart of the town from where the train moved to the APC secretariat at Ajilosun where he addressed the state party executive led by the Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye.
He was accompanied to the party’s secretariat by his campaign team, otherwise known as TEAM BAFEM, women groups, youth, commercial motorcycle riders, among others.
The ex-Speaker stressed that his ward-to-ward tour revealed that the people in the grassroots have been made poorer by the PDP regime which he said failed to address their standard of living. He said Fayose’s days in power are numbered.
He described the APC as the party with the right manifesto to turn around the fortunes of Ekiti which he alleged has nosedived under Fayose accusing the governor of failing to build on the achievements of his immediate predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Addressing the members of the State Working Committee at the APC secretariat, Bamisile unfolded his Octopus Agenda for Human Capital Development which he described as his treaty with the good people of the state.
The Octopus Agenda, according to Bamisile, has eight legs which include agriculture, infrastructure development, economic and industrial development, education, health sector development, security, social security and governance.
He urged the leadership of the APC in the state to organize a transparent, free and fair primary for all aspirants aiming to run for governor expressing confidence that he would clinch the ticket to fly the party’s flag in the 2018 poll.
Bamisile disclosed that he is working with the Ekiti in Diaspora to attract investment to the state, noting that many of them had signified interest to work with him and launch the state on the path of sustainable development.
Responding, Mrs. Olaleye, described Bamisile as a loyal party man who is passionate about the development of the state.
She said the APC was poised to reclaim power in Ekiti judging by the number of key political actors joining the party on daily basis.
Mrs. Olaleye promised that the state exco would be fair to all aspirants seeking its ticket, urging them to be more loyal to the party for the dream of regaining power to be a reality.