Osun: Why I want to be governor —Oyetola

By Gbenga Olarinoye, Osogbo I seek your mandate with all sense of responsibility and humility to lead our great state to further greatness...

By Gbenga Olarinoye, Osogbo

I seek your mandate with all sense of responsibility and humility to lead our great state to further greatness that we all deserve and as God has destined it.” With these few words, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola kicked-off his campaign to occupy the Okefia government house, Osogbo on November 27, this year.

For several hours, Osogbo the capital of Osun state stood still for the Chief of Staff to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola who last Tuesday, formally declare his intention to contest the September 22, governorship election on the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

The Iragbiji born politician is a man of many parts with vast experience in politics, business and public administration. At his public declaration at the state secretariat of the party and his campaign office all located at the ever busy Ogo-Oluwa area of the state capital, Alhaji Oyetola was at his best as he exhibited candour throughout the period of the programmes. Alhaji Oyetola is a well known technocrat as well as a progressive politician. He cuts his political teeth when he along with other prominent Nigerians in 1998 founded the Alliance for Democracy, AD, and has been a chieftain of the party through its metamorphosis to Action Congress, AC, Action Congress Of Nigeria, ACN and now All Progressives Congress, APC.

Specifically, he said job creation will be upper most in his mind. He said, a study he has commissioned has indicated that 25-30 factories employing over 30,000 workers can be created within a period of 3-4 years across the length and breadth of the state saying, “ I will therefore pay critical attention to the establishment of light manufacturing industries, such as those focusing on agricultural processing, meat and fish preservation and packaging, leather goods, building materials production, woodworks, this is because Osun has the necessary inputs for a competitive labour intensive manufacturing sector. My goal is to make Osun to be known as the state for employment and jobs in the country. “

He denied the widespread claim that the Chieftain of their party, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu as well as the governor of the State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola have endorsed him as the flag bearer of the All Progeessives Congress, APC, in the coming gubernatorial primary election in the state.

Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after his declaration to contest for the ticket of the party, Alhaji Oyetola stated that though he had worked closely with both Tinubu and Aregbesola, they never the less annoited him above other aspirants.

According to him, “I have been to every nook and cranny of the State doing consultations, so, I don’t know where they have gotten their adoption statement.I have consulted God and He said I should go ahead, so if God is with me, who else will say no?.

My ambition is not a do or die affairs as I rely on the Almighty God and good people of the State”, the APC governorship aspirant stated

He promised to consolidate on the Six Point Integral Action Plan of Rauf Aregbesola if finally become the next governor of the State.