Former governorship aspirant in Ekiti state, Dr. Wole Oluyede has admonished all members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to resolve their differences, coalesce efforts and work together in unity towards rebuilding the party.
Oluyede, who contested for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in 2018 and was the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2022, said such will put the party in stead to win the 2026 governorship poll and other future elections in Ekiti state.
The Australia based medical practitioner also decried the overdependence on federal allocation by the successive administrations in the state and their refusal to invest in real and profitable productive industries and ventures.
He spoke at his native home of Ikere Ekiti after holding a meeting with the PDP leaders and members from across the 16 local government areas of the state who came to urge him to join and work for the party.
Addressing the gathering, Oluyede said, “There is the need for PDP members to be united and come out to wrestle power from the APC. This work must start from the ward, local government to the state level.
The party has the people. If the party fails to achieve this, it has fail and the gathering will not be meaningful.
“The coming government is of God and will be installed by God. The power belongs to the people. PDP has to wake up from slumber to take power from the interim government”.
Fielding questions from journalists, he said, PDP leaders have been wooing him to join their fold.
He however said he is yet to decide whether or not he will contest the next governorship election.
“This is the third time that a party will approach me to come and run for the governorship in the state.
“Certain elements of the APC came to see me in 2015 to come and do the same. I was never a politician and not interested in politics then. They asked me to come and run and I did accept that at that time and I joined the party and made consultation about it.
“I have sustained three political parties, this is the third I am going to sustain and I am not afraid of doing it. But I am challenging everyone today. Do we really want a change in this state and in Nigeria? That is why I say they should all take me off the look. I am not the problem, by the grace of God , it is not pride, I am not looking for any personal thing in the government house , what I am looking for is for the great good of Ekiti and for Nigeria”.
Speaking on the economy of the state, he said there was no serious development and productivity leading to poverty.
“The definition of poverty by world bank standard is that one is not accessible to 2 dollars 10 cents per day. When the government can spend such on one person, then development will not come.
“What is the sweat of Ekiti that is going to the federal allocation? There is none. Our spending federal allocation is not God ordained and the state may not proper from it.
“The day Ekiti started spending federal allocation was the beginning of our problem.Most of our old schools and other infrastructure were not built or constructed with federal allocation.
“These days, our people don’t look to the government for palliatives. Ekiti only depends on federal allocation, it is a wrong premise which we must change and stop. That is not who and what we are and we have to start producing again like in those days,” he said.