A South Western Nigeria-based socio-political group, Millennium Patriots Forum, has identified one of the gubernatorial hopefuls of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, Dr. Olusola Ayandele, as the ideal candidate capable of taking the state to the higher level after Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
The group in a statement issued and made available to journalists in Ibadan at the weekend by its National Coordinator, Chief Olawale Odu, and General Secretary, Hon. Sola Fakorede, opined that the Pacesetters State held a lot of promise since 1976 when it was created and the opportunity to fully place the state where it rightly belongs depended on who succeeds the incumbent governor in 2019.
“As the race for the occupation of Agodi Government House in 2019 gets more interesting by the day, it is imperative for all hands to be put on deck to assist the teeming electorate in determining the best man for the job since many capable hands are jostling to grab a single coveted seat.
“Political pundits are of the opinion that most of the contenders particularly within the ruling APC are good enough to be governor in their own respective merit but only the best should be thrown up for the herculean task of governing a state like Oyo with vast population density and a lot of expectations from the outside world.
“It was on this premise that we volunteered to scrutize most of the leading aspirants and at the end of the painstaking exercise, we found the presence of all the needed attributes in one APC gubernatorial aspirant and the man is Dr. Olusola Ayandele who has been confirmed to be far ahead of his rivals as far as Oyo 2019 is concerned.
“While we are making a case for merit consideration above any premodial sentiment, we feel obliged to guide the discerning stakeholders including decision makers at the party level and the electorate to dwell on his noble background, academic achievements, public/private sectors exploits, global exposure, moral and social responsibility record as well as philanthropic gesture, loyalty and programmes of action designed to uplift the people.
“One should also be mindful of the fact that the same Dr. Ayandele has always been accessible to all and sundry while he is the only one who has traversed the nooks and crannies of Oyo State in order to consult widely with relevant stakeholders such as traditional rulers, religious leaders, party faithful and the entire masses in the last few weeks as against the practice of many aspirants who restrict themselves to the state capital.
“With no known Godfathers, sponsors and hired thugs, Dr. Ayandele has been able to sell his ambition across the state while an average resident in any of Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones can attest to the fact that he is indeed competent and ready to serve. Apparently, this must have allayed the fear of many people who wished for an ideal leader to succeed Sen. Ajimobi in office,” the statement concluded.
