The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress in Ekiti State, Dare Bejide, has said the party will focus on an issue-based campaign ahead of the June 20 governorship election in the state.
Bejide, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, also revealed that the party would soon unveil its campaign and strategic committees for the election.
He further condemned the alleged tearing and defacing of his campaign posters by agents of the ruling party.
Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the ADC candidate expressed confidence that the party would emerge victorious in the election. He said this confidence was based on what he described as the people’s dissatisfaction with the All Progressives Congress administration in the state and the determination of the ADC to address the perceived gaps and improve the welfare of residents.
Bejide, a former Secretary to the State Government, said, “We will start our campaign in the first week of April. Our agenda is to campaign effectively for about two and a half months. We are not going to organise any jamboree; we will not rent crowds, and we will not congregate party members for rallies.
“During the campaigns, we will tell the people why they should prefer the ADC to the APC government that is inflicting hardship on them.
“We will run a peaceful campaign. We are not going to embark on personal insults or attack anyone. Our campaign will be issue-based. We have noticed gaps in the system in terms of infrastructural development and even the lack of confidence in the government.
“People do not believe that a government truly exists. They believe the purpose of the present government is simply to collect allocation from Abuja and share it. We will ensure that people feel the presence of the government. For us, the campaign is an opportunity to explain our position on these issues, identify the gaps and present what we will do if elected.”
He also accused the APC-led government in the state of showing intolerance toward opposition parties.
“At the moment, they are tearing our posters. There is a directive that our party should not be allowed to use any spaces for billboards and posters.
“We will still meet the traditional institution to discuss these issues with them. Ekiti State belongs to all of us,” he said.
However, Bejide urged the APC to ensure a peaceful and violence-free atmosphere before, during, and after the election.
Responding to calls by the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, for candidates of various parties to maintain peace during the campaigns and election, Bejide said the appeal was not sincere.
“You start by looking at the APC in Ekiti itself. Is there peace within the APC? There is no peace. You cannot give what you do not have. If a party is not at peace with itself, how can it preach peace to the people?
“In our party, the ADC, we had well-contested primaries, and a candidate emerged. As the candidate, I have embraced the other contestants, and we are on the same page.
“But in the APC, they are still in court, and I know they will remain in court until after the election. The APC must embrace peaceful campaigns,” Bejide said.
