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The Deji of Akure, Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, has expressed the hope that the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, would win the election.
The monarch spoke in Akure when Akeredolu and his campaign team visited him at his palace.
He, however, complained that the political parties, including the APC, were not fair to Akure by not conceding the deputy governorship ticket to it.
He added that given the status of Akure as the state capital, the parties had reduced the area to a third row in the state’s political space.
He said: “I extend greetings to our incoming governor, Akeredolu. Although it is sad that we are taking the third row, it is my belief that Akure alone cannot win election for any of the candidates, but it is influential in creating the path to the Alagbaka Government House.
“Unfortunately, it seems that the APC, like the other parties did not carry Akure along in the race. Even if our son had a governorship ticket in any of the parties, it would have been fair to get a deputy governorship slot for a balance.”
The monarch explained that Akure has suffered so much neglect by politicians, despite its numerical power in deciding who occupied the Alagbaka Government House. He added that it was worrisome that the Federal Government had not appointed any Akure indigene.
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According to him, Akure is not meant to be the state capital, but could still be included in leadership positions at the state level.
He promised the candidate that the people would support him if he was committed to fulfilling his manifesto.
“It is assuring that some of our sons are with you on the campaign train. However, we don’t want to vote every four years only to be relegated at the end of elections.”
He said although the people would unite to pick from among the candidates, he was however, comfortable that the APC would not take the area for granted if it wins the polls.
Akeredolu promised to create a local council development area from the existing Akure South Local Council to enhance development.
He added that traditional rulers would be given a share of the state’s security votes if he wins the election, because government alone could not guarantee security in the state.
