‘Let Ekiti be the first state to produce female governor’

The only female governorship aspirant on the platform of the major opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade has appealed to the delegates ahead of the party’s primary scheduled for Saturday to vote for her.

Dr. Yaya-Kolade, who spoke with the media in Lagos, recently, said women should be given opportunity to rule Ekiti this time because the men folk, which have been in power since the state was created, seem not to really understand the challenges confronting the state, its citizens and how to fix it.

The APC aspirant, who was among those that met with the Southwest leadership of party at the Governor’s Lodge Marina Lagos on Friday promised to use her international, entrepreneurial and charity experience and the passion for the people to move the state forward if the delegates voted for her. According to her, “All that our party need is to elect the right candidate during the primary on Saturday, who will surely win the major contest on July 14.”

According to her, “What I’m bringing in is what I have been doing, and what I have done with my own life. There is no rocket science needed to develop our state than to identify immediate needs of the people of Ekiti, which I have been doing throughout my life like creating employment for people, support people with my charity work. Basically, I empower women and youths also young women who have learnt something but they do not have the capability to provide for themselves through my NGO, Christiana Ebenizer Mokolade Foundation.

The female aspirant said what is prompting her to run against the likes of former governors of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Segun Oni, and others like Babafemi Ojudu, Opeyemi Bamide was that: “As a woman, I have done a lot of things internationally and locally and the primary is going to be a fair play for everybody to prove themselves. I’ve created jobs; there are things that Ekiti people actually need. There is a huge unemployment rate; College, University graduates are riding commercial motorcycles in Ekiti, that is not a pleasant side so, basically, for me, providing jobs is going to give me an edge. Supporting the women, ensuring women empowerment, this is a big thing.
  
She also canvassed the need for the country to test the knowledge and ability of women I governance. According to her, “In the current day and age in politics, any government or country that must be successful must put women in politics. Women must be involved in the government.

I know the plight of women and I know what it takes to be a mother, I know what it takes to run a home and I know what it takes to take care of my own children and I so, I feel for those children that lack jobs, I know what they are going through so I’m ready to make a difference for them and we have goals and plans on how to actually create these jobs.

She disagreed on the agitation for zoning, saying, “I do not necessary support rotational governorship because I believe the best candidate and the most qualified should rule the state. Zoning is part of the problems we have because every time you go rotational, that means you are leaving the most qualified candidate.”