Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun State, has urged other candidates to engage in issue-based campaigns. He made the call during a meeting with members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in the state. Adeola emphasized the need for candidates to focus on the real issues affecting the state rather than engaging in personal attacks and frivolities.
During the meeting, Adeola unveiled his nine-pillar agenda, tagged “ITESIWAJU FOR OGUN STATE”, with a promise to sustain development projects through continuity. The agenda is built around a comprehensive development framework aimed at addressing the state's needs across different sectors. The acronym ITESIWAJU represents Infrastructure, Tourism and Culture, Economic Empowerment, Security and Welfare, Inclusive Growth and Well-being, Women, Youth and Poverty Eradication, Agriculture and Food Security, Job Creation and Industrialisation, and Urbanisation and Transparency.
Adeola explained that his agenda was not designed merely as a vehicle for seeking political power but as a development framework intended to address the state's needs. He stated that the document was meticulously crafted to attend to every need of everyone in the state. According to Adeola, the agenda took him three years to put together and is not a document put together for the sake of grabbing power.
Adeola cited Lagos State as an example of how successive administrations could build on the achievements of their predecessors to accelerate economic and infrastructural development. He noted that research on Lagos had documented how successive administrations from 1999 worked on governance reforms, infrastructure, transportation, revenue generation, and urban development. This, he said, had contributed to a relatively seamless transition from one administration to another.
The APC governorship candidate emphasized the importance of policy continuity, stating that Ogun could experience similar multiplier effects if successive governments maintained and completed viable projects initiated by their predecessors. He said his administration, if elected, would continue viable infrastructure projects inherited from the current government rather than abandoning them because they were initiated by a previous administration.
Adeola dismissed the controversy surrounding his ancestral roots as mere political manoeuvring and desperation for power. He said he remained focused on the development of Ogun State and would not be distracted, intimidated, or blackmailed by the controversy. Adeola also stated that under his government, appointments would be based on merit, with individuals being eminently qualified to earn a position.
The Ogun State IPAC Chairman, Comrade Abayomi Sanyaolu, lauded Adeola for his giant strides across the three senatorial districts of the state. Sanyaolu cautioned all governorship candidates against heating up the polity with vulgar language and personal attacks, urging them to present their manifestos to the electorate and focus on issue-based campaigns.
Key points
- Senator Adeola unveils a nine-pillar agenda for Ogun State's development.
- Adeola emphasizes the importance of policy continuity in governance.
- The APC governorship candidate dismisses controversy surrounding his ancestral roots.
