I'LL RUN AGAIN – FAYOSE

By NBF News

Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has declared that he will contest the governorship seat of Ekiti State if the verdict of the Appeal Court didn't favour the governorship candidate of Action Congress (AC), Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Fayose, who had joined the Labour Party (LP) after dumping Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), revealed his political plan for the 2011 general elections while addressing supporters and members of LP at Emure Ekiti over the weekend.

He explained that if Fayemi lost the appeal against the verdict of the election petition tribunal, which upheld the declaration of Governor Segun Oni as the winner of the election re-run in the state, he would set to return to the Government House in 2011.

According to the ex-governor, 'if by any means they don't give it to Fayemi, I will come out and contest. Oni is between two Red seas, if he does not surrender to Fayemi, he will surrender to me. 'He's a loser whichever side the verdict goes. My history will be 'he was unjustly removed and justly returned. I will be returned by my people.'

Fielding questions from newsmen after the rally, Fayose said no candidates would be imposed on the party, including the governorship aspirants. He said: 'We are not going to coerce or harass people, we are going to do our primaries democratically, including the governorship aspirants.' Fayose, however, disclosed that in case the AC governorship candidate won at the appellate court, he would join the race to the Senate in Ekiti Central Senatorial District.

Addressing the supporters and members of the party, the ex-governor implored the women in the party to come out en-masse and contest for all the elective positions on the platform of the party. He charged all men in the state not to prevent their wives from going into politics, which he described as one of the main reasons the wide gap between men and women in politics was too wide.

Fayose explained that mass participation of women in politics was another opportunity to empower women and allow them to make contributions to policy decisions in the state and at the federal level. In his words: 'Try and try your luck, it may be your turn to win. Husbands don't stop your wives from contesting. Allow your wives to participate in politics, if you don't allow them to join the moving train, you may live to regret this later in life.

'As you allow them, you empower them in the process. When you win a woman, you win about 10 people,' Fayose advised.