As the 2019 governorship election beckons, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has boasted that the people of the state will not allow who does not have a second address to succeed him.
Ajimobi, who just celebrated his six years in office as governor, is the first to break the age-long myth that nobody has ever ruled the state twice.
This is just as he clarified that only God and the people of the state will determine the person that will succeed him among the 34 aspirants currently jostling to occupy the coveted office in 2019.
His clarification was in reference to media reports quoting him to have said that he would name his successor by May, next year.
According to the governor, who spoke at the 2017 democracy day media interactive session organized by the Ibadan Zonal Station of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, at its zonal headquarters, Dugbe, Ibadan, having laboured to raise the standards of governance in the state, “My wish to be succeeded by someone who would build on his unprecedented achievements by taking the state to an enviable height.
Ajimobi said, “Only God ordains or dethrones kings. Only God and the good people of Oyo State will determine my successor. But I am sure that our people will not allow the state to fall into the hands of charlatans or professional politicians that will retard our progress.
“With the level we have reached now, we want a competent, highly cerebral person with track record of achievements to be the next governor. We want somebody who will not only envision and visualize, but who will have the courage to do what is right.
“Our state doesn’t deserve people whose sole purpose is to come and line their pockets. We want influential people that will earnestly serve our people and continue from where we would stop.
“A leader takes people where they want to go. But we want a great leader who will be prepared to take our people to where they don’t necessary want to go, but ought to be. A leader that will not be intimidated by some private interest groups from doing what is right.”
