THE candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the October 10, 2020 Governorship Election in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede, has said that he is confident of emerging victorious in the election.
According to him, if election should hold tomorrow, the incumbent Governor Rotimi Akeredolu will not have up to 25 per cent of the votes.
Jegede spoke through his spokesman, Zadok Akintoye, on a breakfast morning show on Arise Television on Monday.
“Without sounding immodest, let me tell you that by this time on October 11, after the election on October 10, we would be celebrating the PDP victory,” he said.
He said his optimism was based on the responses the party had been getting from the people of Ondo State, noting, “If election comes up tomorrow, the incumbent Governor of the state, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, cannot garner 25 per cent of the votes.”
Akintoye added, “Our campaign has been focused on meeting the people, going to the people in their localities, to talk to them, to empathise with them, to speak with them on the fact that the present government has failed.
“Our campaign has also been very real. We do not mobilise people as you will see in other camps. We do not mobilise people to our campaigns; we go to the communities, to the wards. And as Yoruba, we also follow the culture of ensuring that in any locality we go to, we first visit the traditional ruler before engaging the citizens in their community.
“I am well assured that by October 10, the good people of Ondo State, full of highly intellectual people, will come together to change the leadership of the state.”
On the issue of zoning, Akintoye said the campaigners of zoning had reasons to campaign but added that this was not the basis upon which leaders were chosen in a democracy.
“Let me tell you very clearly, Ondo State has the highest number of very intelligent, very educated, very exposed people in the Nigerian system. So for us, to limit who is to lead that community, this great community, to zoning, will be an insult to the people of Ondo State,” he noted.
On the issue of violence in the state, Akintoye said the PDP candidate was not a violent person, adding, “He has been preaching against violence throughout our campaigns across the nook and crannies of the state.
“Eyitayo Jegede cannot be accused of anything that has led to violence.”
He said Governor Akeredolu had, in the last four years, disrespected the traditional institution in Ondo State, claiming that the Obas in the State were tired of his disrespect and they were already queuing behind the PDP in the coming election.
