Engineer Seyi Makinde, a gubernatorial hopeful in Oyo State under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said he will stay put in the party even if he fails to get the governorship ticket for 2019 election.
Makinde said the same disposition would come from other intending governorship aspirants in the party, stressing that nothing would work against the coalition being assembled against the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
The aspirant, an oil and gas engineer, who spoke on Saturday on Political Circuit hosted by Isaac Brown on Fresh F.M, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, said opposition politicians had learnt lessons from their division which paved the way for the emergence of what he called a government of the minority in the state.
“If I don’t get the governorship ticket of the PDP for 2019 election, I will remain in the party. Put it down in your record. The suffering of the people of the state is far beyond me as a person.
“We have failed as individuals and now we are together in the interest of the suffering people of the state. Oyo State people don’t deserve what they are getting at the moment from the current government and we must make sacrifice to ensure we change their story in 2019.
“Quite frankly, majority of the people of the state voted against Senator Abiola Ajimobi in 2015, if you look at the result of the last elections. He won by 32 per cent of the votes and 68 per cent did not want him.
“I don’t nurse any fears about crisis erupting in PDP over the choice of guber candidate. I am saying this with all sense of responsibility and commitment. Now, we have realised that we have failed the people and this has been the major driver for all of us coming together at this point.
“APC is hoping we will not be able to agree so that they can continue to profit from the division. It worked for them in 2015, but it won’t work in 2019,” he said.
He expressed confidence in the leadership to see the coalition to a meaningful end in 2019, assuring the people of the state that a new dawn would come in 2019.
“I have 100 per cent confidence in Senator Rashidi Ladoja who is the leader of the coalition. He is our leader. When he says something to you, you can go to sleep and rest assured. We have to do everything within our power to ensure that we don’t’ have a repeat of what happened in 2015,” he added.
Packaged by Alice Egbedele
