…says APC members will soon start decamping to PDP
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the November 16 election in Ondo, Hon Alfred Agboola Ajayi has declared that money will not be the sole determining factor in the electing the next Governor of the State.
Rather, Ajayi categorically said that competence, experience, record of achievement and popularity will be crucial in determining who emerges victorious at the poll.
He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja shortly after being presented with his certificate of return as the governorship flag bearer of the PDP.
Hon. Ajayi, who served as the Deputy Governor to late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu during his first term in office, said, “Let me tell you, the reward of every politician is election and the people are waiting to reject them (the ruling All Progressives Congress) in the State.
“They cannot continue to waste tax payer’s money and our common wealth. They will give account of everything.
“PDP is not a party that buys vote. We only tell them (the electorate) our programmes and manifesto. They will look at it and they will know that we have better programmes.
“As a matter of fact, two of us (Agboola Ajayi and Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa, the APC governorship candidate) were former deputy governors. We served the same master but they, the people, know who has capacity, who has character, who has experience, who has intelligence, who can handle the job very well and I can assure you that I am the person.
“Forget about money, it does not play any part in Nigerian politics. They will chose the right person and that right person is me”, he said.
Speaking on the last week’s Thursday primary of the PDP where he emerged as the party’s candidate, Ajayi said, “We just concluded a very transparent, seamless exercise. I thank you, I thank the party, I thank everyone and the elders and the delegates of Ondo state for this confidence they reposed on me. “By the grace of God, we still hope for victory by the grace of God”, he said.
On the issue of being a Deputy Governor under an APC administration and now PDP governorship candidate, Ajayi said, “That in itself is an advantage to the PDP. I have friends all over the place, I have friends in PDP, I have friends in APC.
