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Political activities hot up in Ekiti State Tuesday as the Ekiti Rebirth Organisation, ERO, the campaign organ of Senator Babafemi Ojudu gubernatorial aspiration, began mobilisation across the state to ensure victory in the forthcoming All Progressives Congress, APC primaries slated to hold May 5, 2018.Party loyalists comprising youths, elders, leaders and other dignitaries visited Ilejemeje, Moba and Ido-Osi Local Government councils to kick start a scheduled familiarisation/awareness campaign to sensitise members on the need for cohesion, focus and the employment of wisdom in selecting who represents the party in the July 14 governorship election.
Director General of ERO, Chief Ranti Adebisi who spoke to journalists in Ido Ekiti, said “the APC has been in a self-assigned political wilderness for about four years”, noting that the need to impress on delegates to employ wisdom in settling for who represents the party in the coming elections was sacrosanct.
According to him, Ekiti people is presently going through a very hard time caused by flagrant mismanagement of opportunities earlier entrusted in the party but bungled as a result of flippant disposition to power and crass official high handedness.
He noted that the delegates on whom the onus fell to decide who represents the party against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, should sieve through the array of aspirants thoroughly to pick a candidate that can confront and wrestle power from the incumbent governor, Ayodele Fayose, who dislodged the party from power in 2014.
“I was part of the struggle that eventually brought us to power in 2010 after our mandate was wickedly stolen and we were plunged into more than three years legal battle that eventually restored order. I am alive to how we started where we erred and why we lost so woefully to our opponent in 2014.
“After about four agonising years, we ought to have learnt our lessons. We have to do it right because our future lies in our today’s decision on who should have our ticket to confront the irresponsible government of the day,” he said.
Ojudu while speaking to the party faithful, assured that he has the wherewithal to bring the control of Ekiti State back to the party, having demonstrated courage, doggedness and forthrightness in past battles channelled towards liberating the people.
He admonished the delegates to eschew money politics that would only secure momentary relief and don the cap of reason to select a leader that would guarantee their future and that of their children.
“I have led so many wars in my life. I started the struggle for the emancipation of our people at age 25. Now I am 57 and I am still fighting on. You all know the role I played in 2006 when I led members of the then Ekiti State House of Assembly to oust the present governor. We fought the battle and won for our people.
“While we were basking in the euphoria of our victory, Fayose came again and said he wanted to go into the Senate. I contested against him and won him hands down. He had 21,000 votes while I polled 68,000. He came back in 2014 and he was able to chase us from power and then throw the state into perpetual darkness as a result of our lack of cohesion and inability to defend our victory adequately,” he said.
Ojudu assured that he would deploy all strength to ensure that Ekiti is rescued from its lingering parlous state to a place of solid economic stability.
