A former member of the US Army and a gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ayodeji Karim has said that he is the best aspirant to takeover from the Oyo state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
Ayodeji Karim, who was the Managing Director of Constains (West Africa), Lagos resigned to vie for the 2019 Oyo state governorship election told the Nigerian Tribune that he is the best candidate to continue the good work of Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
Ayodeji also talked about the rumour of Ajimobi’s anointed candidate. He said “Yes, from all indications from my interactions with the governor and the rapport that I had with him. I also know that if anybody goes to the governor, as long as you are within the Nigerian Constitution, you can contest for any elective position provided you meet the residential laws.
“Traditionally, the people of Oyo State would not necessarily adopt someone from outside the state to come and govern over them. We are not in Lagos State and I don’t that think we are that amenable to such a system. As an Oyo indigene, am I the anointed candidate? I believe so and I will tell you why.
“If you look at the list of those of us vying for the governorship ticket, I will only speak about myself. I don’t think that any of them, in terms of deliverables, quality and standard, would beat my record and the record is there for anybody to see. Leadership is about leading by example and you lead from the front. Part of my army training, when you do command task, is that you have to lead.
“What are the qualities of a leader? You must have integrity and honesty and you must be diligent. All these things have been demonstrated and if Oyo State were to look beyond an Ayo Karim, I think we are doing a disservice to ourselves.”
He talked about living on past glory. He said “Yes, a lot of the people are in the media, making all sorts of noise. But their background is sketchy; their experience is sketchy. The only thing they have or they are supposed to have is the name and that name, if you look at it, they are riding on the glory of somebody [who lived] in the past. What have yourself done today? Forget about my grandfather. Though he was a politician, but he has been dead for a long time. While I am not trying to rubbish my grandfather’s legacy, it is me that I vying for the office that the people need to know, not my grandfather.
“It is you that is seeking to the state to the next level that we want to achieve. So, I think it is also very important to know the background of someone is vying for an elective office. Integrity is important. Honesty is very important and the ability to drive to achieve result is also very important.
“You don’t delve into politics to run away halfway through. I have been into many battles in my journey in the US Army and I didn’t run away from them. So, why would I run away now? Ile baba omo kii ba omo leru. I feel I am among my people; I am at home. So, I am not scared or fear the challenges in front of me.
“Yes, it is a challenge and I am not saying it is easy, but ibi to ba le la n ba omokunrin. As long as we are all men, we are determined and resolute. I believe that I am going to be the next governor of Oyo State.”
