Asks APC to adopt direct primaries, says ‘no room for negotiation’
A former president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Dayo Faduyile, yesterday, declared his intention to run for the governorship seat of Ondo State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the November polls.
Faduyile, who vowed that he would not step down for any aspirant ahead of the primaries, stated that he sees himself as the best for the gubernatorial position.
The professor of Medicine, who was Special Adviser on Health to the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, made his declaration at a media parley in Akure where he emphasised that he is better than the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
According to him, his qualifications and dedication to public service will serve as factors that will set him apart from his competitors, stressing that his experience and expertise will be used to address critical issues, such as healthcare, infrastructure, education, and economic development in the state.
Faduyile advised the leadership of the APC to adopt direct mode of primaries.
He said that the delay of his official declaration for the governorship seat was due to the ill-health of his late boss, Akeredolu.
He said: “To face an incumbent governor, you have to put in more effort. I also wish my brother, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, luck in his campaign, but look at us together, I’m better than him in many ramifications.
“I’m a professor of Medicine. Professor of medicine is not something you get by chieftaincy or votes. I’ll not come and waste my time on negotiation. There is no reason why I should come and seek negotiation. I’m not here to play. I’m here to win.
“I will emerge as a candidate in whichever mode of primary. We are resolute, and I shall get there by the grace of God. I contested in 2020 against the incumbent then. So, it is not a new thing for me to contest against an incumbent. But in 2020, I collapsed my structure with the incumbent. The only superior argument that made me do that was because of the agreement on zoning in the state.
“This is the time for a new leadership, a dedicated, compassionate, intelligent, prudent, and trustworthy leader that will work around the clock to ensure Ondo State becomes the hub for modern medicine, tourism, and hospitality, the food basket of Nigeria, the citadel of education, and a safe and technologically-advanced state.”
