Ajayi pledges to end darkness in Ondo South District

• He is the most qualified guber candidate, says Mimiko
• Borokini warns citizens against resorting to self-defense ahead of the poll
• Decries insecurity, corruption at NDDC, fuel, electricity tariff hike

Ondo State Deputy Governor and governorship candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Mr. Agboola Ajayi, has pledged to fix the lingering power outage in the South Senatorial District of the state within 100 days in office, lamenting that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration was insensitive to the plight of the people.

He also declared that he would implement an astronomical reduction of tuition fees in the state.

He assured parents and students that he would implement a downward review of tuitions for all state-owned tertiary institutions to a maximum of N50,000.

Ajayi, who reiterated that he was the most qualified candidate to occupy the seat of government, spoke yesterday during the kick-off of his campaign at Ore, the headquarters of Odigbo Local Council of the state.

For the record, the four coastal councils of the district namely: Okitipupa, Ese-Odo, Ilaje and Irele, with over 5,000 communities, had been removed from the national grid for more than 10 years.

The deputy governor, while reacting to a recent remark by Akeredolu that he was a neophyte, said: “I am a home-based politician. I am familiar with the challenges of our people.

“The person who said I am a neophyte does not know the meaning of the word. I had served as a councillor, local council chairman, and a member of the House of Representatives.

“I live among my people and feel what they feel. I am the most qualified to rescue them from the misrule and hardship they have been subjected to by the present administration in the state.
MEANWHILE, the immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has implored the people to collect the money offered by politicians who planned to buy their votes and still go-ahead to vote for ZLP.

He described the deputy governor as the most qualified candidate among all the 17 candidates participating in the election and urged the people to go out en-masse on election day to cast their votes for ZLP.

In another development, Bishop of Akure Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt. Revd Simeon Borokini has urged people of Ondo State to desist from resorting to self-defense ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

Borokini, who tasked security agencies to be proactive, said this at the weekend during the second session of the diocese’s 13th synod held at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Akure.

This was sequel to the declaration by some governorship candidates who said their members would resort to self-defense in the face of provocation.

He also lamented the spate of violence and insecurity rocking the nation, especially the incessant killing of Christians in Kaduna State by banditry and Boko Haram.

Borokini, who decried the recent increase in fuel and electricity tariffs, said: “It was callous of the government to increase the prices of essential commodities during a pandemic. “Many advanced countries are making life easier for their citizens through tax cuts and palliatives, the Nigerian government is doing the exact opposite.”

He also condemned the prevalent corruption at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), urging President Muhammadu Buhari to promptly freeze NDDC accounts and embark on overhaul of Niger Delta Ministry and the commission.