The candidate of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, for badan South West Constituency 1, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Olasunkanmi Abdul Wasiu Akere, has promised to make education a top priority if elected.
Speaking with journalist in Orita Merin area of Ibadan where he kicked off his campaign on Sunday, Akere said he joined politics to uplift his people and that education would be a vital tool.
“I have a special interest in education, women and youth empowerment and labour legislation.
“But I have greater focus on education and youth empowerment because it is very vital for nation building. Education makes people easy to lead, difficult to drive and impossible to enslave.”
He stated that he has already invested a lot in education, especially for young school leavers. “In the last 15 years, I’ve been paying WAEC, JAMB, and other exam fees for many of them. It is not for ego sake but as a way of giving back to the environment where I grew up, so that when these young people grow up, they’ll be able to reciprocate the gesture.”
Speaking on the chances of his party, the ADP in an election where much older parties like the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will also be contesting, Akere, who left the APC to clinch the ADP ticket, stressed that the 2019 elections would be more about personalities and their programmes for the people, rather than the party.
His words: “It’s not about party but personality. I’ve done so much for this neighborhood. Since my people have asked me to run, I am very confident of getting their votes. When you look at the other parties, they are full of crisis because they lack internal democracy. It is only here in ADP that we have peace in this state. And we have candidates that can give quality representation. So I have no doubt that ADP in Oyo will be the party to beat.
He however pointed out that he was no pushover in the race.
“I have a done quite a lot of the last 20 years. I have invested in the education of youths, I have sunk boreholes in my communities, I have a maternity clinic around in my family house there, its still at the foundation stage. By the special grace of God, that maternity clinic will be ready for use of the community within one year of my being in office ” he said.
The legislature hopeful also expressed confidence in his party’s governorship candidate, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, saying that the former governor “has the personality, the experience and the grassroots followership needed to deliver victory in the 2019 election”. He however pointed out that “politics is not only about individual, it demands collective efforts and total representation.”
Earlier while speaking to the crowd that gathered for the campaign flag off, Akere advised the people to shun any act of violence as the polls approach but resist intimidation and attempts to buy their votes. He urged them to vote for ADP candidates for all positions and be rest assured that their lives will truly be transformed in an ADP government.
