[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n just a month from today, Ondo State people will be going to the poll to elect who will govern them in the next four years, but, to some of the leading contenders, the struggle to succeed Governor Olusegun Mimiko seems achievable by following the deceptive path of their ‘forefathers’.
When the time comes for the masses to decide the candidate of their choice into any elective position, one begins to read about different campaign promises, this reminds me of the countless number of campaign promises of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the last general election in Nigeria.
No doubt, these promises are what Nigerians actually need, in fact reading through the promises, I concluded that our leaders know our problems, but they have failed to deliver on their campaign promises out of cluelessness, selfishness and or governance ineptitude.
The first was one a major contender in the All Progressives Congress Primary election in the state, Chief Jamiu Ekungba, who said “I will fix Ondo’s battered economy in 45 days”, this didn’t sound like a joke at the hearing of Ondo state people, not because it’s not feasible, but according to one of his critics, “he who wants to fix an economy needed to be fixed.”
When someone wishes to fix an economy, he won’t come out to profess only but sit and design a working economic framework which will target important sectors of the economy causing negative macro-economic variables. Maybe this and the fact that their ‘forefathers’ hasn’t been able to deliver on his long list of campaign promises formed part of the reasons why he (Ekungba) wasn’t taken serious, he lost gallantly in the primaries.
Not quite long, Rotimi Akeredolu SAN, who by chance emerged APC gubernatorial candidate in the coming election, promised the good people of Ondo state that he pay workers salary arrears in 6 months if elected as the governor of the state.
This statement bounced on him heavily on social and traditional media that aired this statement as a topic for discussion, he received strong criticisms over the campaign promise he made without a clear blueprint to achieve it. He failed to explain that the shortfall in the federation account due to the plunge in crude oil price at the International market has greatly affected the states’ allocation, making it difficult for many states to of the federation to meet up with their financial obligations.
He was mocked because the people know what his ‘forefathers’ said when he was seeking votes and what he has done after one and half years in Office, that is if there is anything to point at, people’s reactions can be traced to what Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state said when he was seeking re-elction but rather than to improve the state, he has brought a retrogressive change to our people in the land of Virtue.
We all know the comments that follow when Osun state is mentioned, no thanks to Ogbeni.
That also reminds me of Rochas Okorocha of Imo state who planned to reduce working days to three so as to cut down salaries, Comrade Adams Oshiomole of Edo who we can say has not embarked on any monumental project for over seven and half years he has been governing the state, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state who planned to privatize public schools, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, and Yahaya Bello of Kogi state who never planned to govern, but find himself governing by emergency.
None of these governors owes his workers less than 6 months, yet Rotimi Akeredolu who is contesting under the same platform (APC) could not give out the model he planned to use in paying workers’ arrears to his brothers in other states to savage the people in these states from untold hunger, poverty and hardship.
In comparing the major contenders in Ondo election, and by putting these false promises side by side with the clear economic blueprint Eyitayo Jegede SAN of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has designed to transform Ondo from a civil service driven state, you will know they do not understand the different between governance and politics, all they are proficient is to get power and inflict hardship.
No one works with Mimiko, and not be impacted by his caring heart programmes, touched by his legacies and his determination to improve the lives of the people rather than deceive to get power, that is why today, we can point to many programmes of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko-led administration which have set Ondo State high not only nationally but internationally.
Oluwasegun Olakoyenikan is a political commentator. He can be reached by email HERE.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
