Gov’ship Poll: Ondo People’s Votes Must Count, Says Makinde

Ahead of the Saturday, November 16, 2024 governorship election in Ondo State, Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has rallied support for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Agboola Ajayi, insisting that the votes of the people must count.

Governor Makinde, who stated this while receiving the leadership of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), which paid him a courtesy visit at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan, noted that though election should not be a do-or-die affair, the people’s votes should count.

Makinde also declared that the state government would support MUSWEN’s Conference/9th General Assembly scheduled to hold in Ibadan on Sunday, November 17, 2024.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to building institutions that will guarantee good governance and ensure that the state continues to thrive.

The Oyo State governor maintained that his administration will not only be remembered for building infrastructure across the state after the expiration of his tenure, but also for putting in place strong institutions.

He explained that his administration’s decision to embark on massive infrastructure development was predicated on the fact that there was deficit of infrastructure in the state.

“I want to thank you for the kind words about the projects going on in Oyo State and our efforts here and there. But I think about what we want to be remembered for when we leave office. We don’t want to only be remembered for the fact that we constructed roads, improved infrastructure and all that.

“Some people asked why we are reconstructing all the inner roads in Ibadan, and I said when we came in 2019, we repaired those roads but they did not last more than one rainy season.

“We tried it again and got exactly the same result. We realised that majority of the roads were 50 years old and had gotten to the end of their useful life.

“So, we felt we should reconstruct the roads so that, for another 30 years, nobody would need to do anything on those roads again, except maintenance.

“Five years after leaving office, people would start forgetting who constructed what. So, we don’t want to be remembered for infrastructure but building institutions that would guarantee good governance for many years after we must have left office in Oyo State. That is where our efforts are being focused,” Makinde said.

Earlier, MUSWEN’s President, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo lauded Makinde’s infrastructure development strides and the recent approval of N80,000 as minimum wage in the state, saying his actions had always shown his steadfastness and commitment to the well-being of his people.

He explained that MUSWEN is the umbrella body for all Muslims in the South-West as represented by the state councils, communities, Muslim organisations and institutions in the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria.