Ekiti 2018: Fayose has put APC on spotlight by picking Olusola – Ajayi Olowo

A legal practitioner and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Barrister Ajayi Olowo, has said the adoption of the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Prof. Kolapo Olusola as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has automatically put the APC on the spot on the need to uphold zoning in the coming election.
Olowo said the APC-led government under former Governor Kayode Fayemi did excellently well in terms of infrastructural provision in the
state , pointing out that the only snag had been that the government didn’t fraternize well enough with the downtrodden masses.

People from the south senatorial district have been advocating for zoning of the governorship ticket to the zone in 2018 on the basis of equity, justice and fairplay.
On the large number of aspirants coming out for the governorship election in APC, Olowo said: “Most of them are pretenders who will not even pass the screening of the party for the primaries”.
Olowo, who spoke in Ado Ekiti yesterday while unveiling intention for the plum position, said he was not contesting based on the fact that he was from Ikere Ekiti in Ekiti south senatorial district, where agitations for zoning was high and defeaning.
“My contesting this election is not predicated primarily on southern agenda, because I feared that that will make the south to be battle field. I am in support of the best candidate to emerge but I am not against it .

“If the stakeholders meet and said power should shift to the south, then the party can set up criteria and if the aspirants . One thing is sure, there is no best quality people are looking out for that you can’t get in the south.
“But we have accept the reality that the adoption of Prof Olusola from the south by Governor Ayodele Fayose and the PDP has put the APC on the spot. It has pushed the APC to a point where it has no choice that to pick its candidate from the zone”.
He said governance in Ekiti has gone beyond pedestrianism by only fraternizing with the downtrodden, saying “we should empower them as well, that is the essence of governance and if it doesn’t get to this level, then it has not got to the beneficial point”.
On his electioneering promises for Ekiti, Olowo said he has a 10-point agenda through which he wishes to turn around the fortunes of the state .

He said his main focus is development plan that would be qualitative and compulsory education, provision of potable water and development of agriculture among other welfare packages that would transform the lives of the populace.
He said: “Ekiti has three dams; Egbe, Ero and Ureje dam. Findings revealed that Egbe dam can serve both Ekiti and Ondo all together but our leaders prefer the short cut, which was drilling of bore holes.
“The partnership between Lagos State and Kebbi is giving out LAKE rice and it shows it is practicable. Igbemo Rice and other products like yam can be repackaged to earn national and international attentions.
“Ekiti was renowned and respected for qualitative education. My plan is to introduce compulsory but subsidized education for our people, this I want to achieve in partnership with stakeholders .

Olowo advised the APC national leaders to conduct free and fair primaries bereft of bickering, so that the party can remain united to prosecute the election.