Hon.
Femi Adekanmbi, a one-time candidate for the House of Representatives
in Ondo State has seen the rough side of politics. He told the nation at
the weekend that he had been kidnapped and shot at several times.
Adekanmbi,
a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, has,
however, vowed to put the ordeals behind him and work towards unseating
the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olufemi Mimiko of the Labour Party. He
claimed that Mimiko had not performed, adding that the ACN candidate,
Chief Rotimi Akeredolu would force the governor out of Alagbaka, the
Governor’s House in Akure.
“I am
no longer a novice in the Ondo state elections. This coming
gubernatorial election will not favour the incumbent Governor Mimiko,
but the ACN, under Akeredolu who has the potentialities to lead the
state to El dorado,” he said.
“I am
being wooed to back to the Labour Party I had dumped, while the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) is also calling me to come but I refused, seeing
the way the two parties are playing politics which is different from
that of the civilized ACN. I have been vilified, hunted like an animal
but politics is not what is fetching me money; rather, I am spending
money on it. I have my business that I use to sustain the family. I
don’t make politics a do or die affair. After losing the election, I was
advised to go to Court but I said no, I went to church to thank God.”
He
further said: “ACN is a good party with egg-heads and technocrats. If
you look at Ondo state politics, it is entirely different from the way
others are playing politics in Nigeria because the state believes in
integrity, and hence, believes in Akeredolu. If you look at the state
over the years you will see that the state is not doing well. The
performance of the state and local government is below expectation, as
the state government has been blowing the trumpets that they are
performing, but this is only on paper.
“How
would you expect the state government to be building markets and motor
parks, which are the primary functions of the local government? Apart
from that, Ondo state is a state that believes in one term only .I
remember Mimiko was once against the late Baba Ajasin’s second term; he
was against Adefarati era; he came to join Dr. Olusegun Agagu, and he
once said it on NTA that he was going for only one term. I am attacked
by the Labour Party in a daily basis because of my support for a good
party, ACN. They are after my life but, for goodness sake, I am not the
issue in Ondo state.”
Further
narrating his experience in the hands of political thugs, he said: “I
was once kidnapped and shot at many times. Not only that, guns and
ammunition were also deposited in my compound to frame me up. Recently,
Indian hemp was deposited in my compound in Owo in order to cow me and
make me kowtow and force me out of politics, yet I remain undeterred,”
he continued, adding: “I am in ACN and I have told PDP people that I
cannot leave the ACN. I did not join the ACN because of my pocket or
what I want to eat. I joined politics because of Ondo State people who
are suffering, and it is very important for me to support Akeredolu
(Aketi), a former commissioner, an Ondo state man who has an excellent
record and also from Owo where the post is zoned to.”
He
spoke further on the coming election in the state: “Nobody is really
asking Mimiko to come for second term. If you are talking about
performance, he has not performed; you cannot tell us that the water
fountain construction that was constructed for about N12 to N15 million
which is put for N250 million is right. I am into construction and I
know how much this costs. This is when a lot of people are hungry and
don’t have jobs in the state and you are talking about water fountain,
which is uncalled for. In Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole created a lot of
jobs for youths. He constructed roads and people could see them, but
look at Ondo State that has got up to N60 billion and cannot tell us
what they did with the money. The Labour Party in Ondo state has made us
believe in the government of building market, motor parks and water
fountain. What we need in Ondo state is infrastructure - good roads,
potable water, good shelter and food. When you see the condition of Ondo
state people you feel sad. Each time I go to Ondo state I see people
begging for N100 to buy food, this is sad; but I can assure you that ACN
has come to solve all these problems and will make sure the state
reaches higher heights.”
Speaking
on Dr. Olu Agunloye’s defection to the Labour Party, he said: “As at
the time Dr. Olu Agunloye was leaving, I gave him my advice that Mimiko
would mess him up. You can see what is happening today; he is being
messed up. I advised him not to leave our party, ACN. Saka Lawal is a
very nice, young man and he is articulate and matured. He has his own
mind but since he left we have no choice than to accept. We that are
bona fide ACN members are sure that ACN in Ondo state will eventually
emerge the winner in October election.
On
President Goodluck Jonathan, Adekanmbi argued that Jonathan will
eventually be the best president in the country. Jonathan is on that
throne not by power but by the grace of God. He has good, wise,
bureaucratic people that can perform and working for him. He did not
start Nigeria problems, Nigeria problems started long time ago and he
has come to assist in putting them right. They cannot be eradicated
within one year or two years and these are things we need to know.”
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