No opposition party can withstand APC in 2018 governorship election- Aregbesola
Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola has noted that no opposition party could withstand the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2018 governorship election as the only opposition party in the state is disorganized.
Aregbesola said this during an all night interactive programme tagged: ‘Ogbeni Till Daybreak’ in Osogbo, the State capital on Saturday.
His words," It should be noted that no opposition party in the state can withstand APC in 2018 governorship election.
“If the only opposition party we have in the state is disorganised, dismembered, then where is the fear for 2018 election?" the governor asked.
However Governor Rauf Aregbesola said that he has not endorsed anyone to succeed him ahead of the 2018 governorship election.
He said it was not true that effort to choose who would succeed him in 2018 was threatening his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The governor said APC in the state was as solid, strong and effective as any party could be.
“There is no aspect of our party’s organisation and management that have suffered in any form in respect of who will be my successor.
“We are united, connected and working so well for the progress of the party. We are the most cohesive political party in the state,” he said.
On the speculation that the governor was planning to contest for Lagos West Senatorial election in 2019, Aregbesola said there was no such dream yet.
Specking on his tenure in office, Aregesola echoed that his administration’s achievements in the last six and half years has surpassed those done since Osun as an entity was formed centuries ago.
The Governor who enumerated various infrastructural projects, state of the art schools, youth empowerment programmes among others as his long term legacies for the state, avowed his determination to complete them before leaving office in about 18 months.
He berated the financial quagmire facing the country, saying the situation hampered his government’s development agenda.
“As they say, when there is money, you can do anything. But if there is no or little resources, it means we have limits to what we can do and that is why we have issues with some of our programmes and policies in implementing them to our wish.”
“Since, the entity Osun emerged some century ago; there has never been any administration that has done the number of bridges we have so far constructed in the state, the previous administration did only one on the Gbodofon road, but we have constructed more than six solid bridges which people can see.”
“No state in Nigeria can dare our school feeding programme, its continuity despite the huge financial mess we are is one of our long standing legacies and input to maintaining sound and qualitative education in our state. Since 2012, we have been feeding 250,000 pupils, It’s a record I’m waiting for anyone to beat.”
Aregbesola also stressed that the government is cost effective in its road construction such that a kilometer of road is constructed with the best standard, noting that “If anything wrong happens in the way with which we do our roads, hold me responsible.”
The APC Chairman in the State, Mr Gboyega Famodun, who the governor also asked to speak on 2018 election in the state, said that the party had not chosen anyone as its candidate.
“There is no governorship aspirant in the party as far as I know.
“The insubordination of few members of the party does not mean that the party is being threatened ahead of 2018 governorship election.
“We have a very strong structure in the state,” he said.
Famodun said that there was no timetable yet from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the 2018 election in the state.