A member of the House of Representatives from Ondo State, Hon. Friday Olemija, has urged Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to run for Ekiti State governorship seat again in the 2018 poll.
Olemija said the standard of good governance set by Fayemi during his tenure as governor between 2010 and 2014 has become a reference point in Nigeria and has not been matched by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) regime in power in Ekiti.
The lawmaker representing Akoko Northeast/Akoko Northwest Federal Constituency of Ondo State stressed that “the bad governance going in Ekiti” must end with the enthronement of an All Progressives Congress (APC) government after the July 14 governorship election.
Olemija made the remarks at the weekend during his visit to the members of John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) Movement led by their Coordinator, Pastor Ade, in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital. The minister is yet to declare intent to run for governorship over three years after he vacated the seat.
He hailed Fayemi for using his position to attract some federal projects to Ekiti including bauxite and kaolin exploration, Federal Secretariat, Federal Low Cost Housing and extension of rail lines to the Fountain of Knowledge, among others.
The former Akoko Northeast council chairman argued that Ekiti State has benefited more from the APC-led Federal Government “despite the endless verbal attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari by Governor Ayo Fayose.”
He claimed that many indigenes of Ekiti resident in Ondo State and willing to invest in their home state are scared by alleged harsh business environment and unfavourable policies of the Fayose administration.
Olemija, who argued that Ekiti must join the mainstream politics to enjoy more benefits from the APC-led Federal Government, identified Fayemi as a good candidate who can facilitate more goodies from the government at thecentre if he becomes governor.
He said: “Ondo and Ekiti States are one, they should both belong to the progressives family. The bad governance going on in Ekiti must stop in this year because many Ekiti indigenes living in my state are not happy with what is going on.
“I want to plead with Dr. Fayemi to come home again and salvage Ekiti and save the people from the suffering they are going through under the PDP
government.
“Ondo State government and its people are ready to give Dr. Fayemi the maximum support he needs to take Ekiti back to mainstream politics. Ekiti people should support him if he decides to run for the 2018 governorship race.”
Responding, JKF Movement boss, Kolade, hailed the federal legislator for the visit which he described as “a timely morale booster.”
