Honourable Bimbo Adekanmbi, the gubernatorial candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) in Oyo State on Tuesday said he would be surrogate to the 7.9 million people of the state.
Besides, Adekanmbi also expressed his readiness to continue with the developmental efforts of Governor Seyi Makinde if elected to govern Oyo State at the next general election.
The APM candidate said these while featuring on Arise tv programme “Good morning show”.
According to him, despite the huge endorsement he received from Makinde, his allegiance would be to the teeming masses of the state, which the sitting governor is one of them.
He said, “The people of Oyo state own Bimbo Adekanmbi and I am people centric, I am going to be surrogate to the 7.9 million people of the state as we will be elected to serve the interest of the entire state.
Speaking on the insinuation that his government would be a third term arrangement for Makinde, the APM candidate said this is a wrong notion but would be ready to be a “higher version” of the incumbent by building on his achievements in the last eight years in office.
He stated that Makinde had in his two term as governor built enduring legacies for the state and recorded unprecedented achievements in the critical sectors of the society.
Adekanmbi said, “I won’t discard the achievements of Governor Seyi Makinde, I am going to carry on where he will stop on May 29, 2027.
Speaking on his emergence as the candidate of the party, the former commissioner for finance in the state explained that he was not handpicked and impose by the governor, adding that his candidacy was a result of rigorous exercise involving necessary stakeholders.
He said, “The governor didn’t just sit down and draw the list of candidates of our party. Myself and other candidates of the APM emerged through consensus after consultations and engagements with the necessary stakeholders of the party.
That is why after the exercise there has been no rancour among our members. Many people had thought that candidate selection would lead to implosion and explosion among us, but today nobody raises any eyebrows because everyone was carried along in the process
After my emergence I have gone round the zones that we have in the state for thank you visits and everywhere we went we were well received, that shows that the APM is one in the state.
Also speaking on what stands him out in the contest, Adekanmbi said as a professional he has always been a problem solver that has found solutions to issues in critical situations.
According to him, while serving as commissioner for finance in the government of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, he was able to handle the Ibadan urban flood programme leading to commendation from the World Bank.
Adekanmbi also said as commissioner he ensured that the state board of internal revenue was independent and was able to function maximally.
