Ondo Guber: Why PDP Failed To Provide A Consensus Candidate – Akingboye

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant for the Ondo State Governorship election, Otumba Bamidele Akingboye, has said attempts by his party to find a consensus candidate failed because all aspirants believe they are the best for the job.

Akingboye said this in an interview with Journalists shortly after picking his nomination forms at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja, on Monday.

On the issue of a consensus candidate, he said, “It was suggested by the leaders and elders of the party that since the party has decided to zone to the southern senatorial district, and nine of us have indicated interest in the same election, they suggested that we should go back home and discuss with each other and see if we can turn down the number of aspirants.

“We have tried it but sincerely, I don’t think that it is going to work out because every one of us believe that he is the best person to do the job.

“The truth is that if you are not tested or trusted, I don’t think that Ondo state is ready to entrust the mantle to someone who will not be able to carry the load at this particular time.”

Asked if the search for a consensus candidate by the party has failed, he replied “Definitely.”

Explaining why he believes he is the best man to govern Ondo State, Akingboye said, “I have been an entrepreneur for almost 40 years of my life and I have thrived in my businesses. I sell sand to support construction. I am into dredging.

“In Nigeria, 75 percent of the component you use in building your house is sand. This is the business I have been doing for almost 35years of my life. It is a daily need business.

“Unless there is no more construction in Nigeria that is when my business will go suffering.

“I believe that what Ondo state needs this time around is someone that can think out of the box, somebody that has what it will take to bring Ondo state out to the world map.

Ondo state is well placed in Africa, a state that is sitting on a lot of mineral resources.

“The only thing that is giving money to Canada today is the bitumen. Ondo state and my local government is where they have the second largest deposit of Bitumen while Venezuela has the third largest deposit of bitumen. As we spoon, it has not been touched. We are talking of an investment of trillions of dollars.”

He said further, “Today, Ondo state is the only state in Africa that is sitting on the largest coastline from Ayetoro to Shekelewi in Delta and the boundary of Ogun state of almost 147km, untouched.

“Across the globe, where people make most of the money is on the shore line because that is where you find the beauty of the city and tourists will come there but my state is sitting on 147km untouched.

“I must tell you that in the whole of Africa, it is only in Ondo state, Ayetoro that you will find a deep sea point that is a vessel can come from the Atlantic Ocean that can carry about 200,000 tons and can easily come in and berth without dredging.

“ It has never happened in any part of the world. Ondo state was created in 1976 and they have been using teachers and contemporary politicians to run the state and it cannot work. Governance is about business.

“We have the best granite marble in Ondo state, we have lime stone for cement, we have cocoa in Ondo state. Before we discovered oil, we were feeding on the cocoa. We have timber, we have rubber plantation.

“The Malaysians came to Okitipupa palm plantation in 1976 to pick palm seeds. Today, Malaysia export palm oil product up to $7b every year. My local government that they came to pick this sample can’t even export N100,000.00 worth of oil produce. The company is almost moribund.

“There was a time that in the whole of West Africa, people come to Oluwa glass to buy glass materials and tumblers. All these companies are moribund.

“As I speak to you, in our own land, we have silicon sand that people are looking for to produce glass.

On his plans for the state, said, “Once I become the governor of Ondo state, I know what it takes to save my people from suffering.

“Today Lagos is generating a lot of revenue as IGR, there is a local government in Lagos state, in Ibeju Lekki where they have the Dangote Refinery.

“The refinery is worth over $20b investment, if you look at the right hand side, we have the deep sea port and a free zone, that one is a lot of money.

“You will see the Indomie company, now they are trying to build the Lagos City airport. All these investments, of over $40bn are sitting on a circumference of 60km radius in Lagos state. It has never happened in any part of the world.

“That business over there needs a financial centre which is in Idumota. If you want to drive from that place to Idumota, it will take you three hours, they don’t have a commercial centre, they don’t have an entertainment centre. That place is just 40km to Ondo state.

“Right now, I am discussing with some experts in Singapore and we are going to redesign Ondo state, so that everything that they are doing in Lagos state we are going to replicate here because they need housing, they need hospital, they need recreation and they will pay us for it.”

On his plans for women and youths in the state, he said, The youths are our future and the women are our mothers. Women always deliver better than men. My government is going to focus seriously on youths and women.

For any society to develop, you must take care of the security of the state and of your people and your investors.

“When I become the governor, the issue of kidnapping, the issue of robbery will stop in Ondo state because I will focus on security and the only way you can do it is to give employment to all. That one will be sorted out in three months.

“I will now look into building proper infrastructure in that state because without infrastructure, you cannot grow. Then 24/7 there must be power in Ondo state. You will see what will happen if I put those three in place in the first 100 days.“

The PDP aspirant also dismissed the years spent by the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) in governing the state as wasted years.

He said, “The truth is that you cannot offer what you don’t have. They have tried their best and what they have done is what they can offer but their best is nothing.”