APC must be united to win Ondo gov’ship election – Kekemeke

Isaac Kekemeke was the immediate past chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State and one of the party’s governorship aspirants in the October gubernatorial election in the state. He had also served as Attorney-General, Commissioner for Lands and Housing as well as Secretary to the State Government all in Ondo. In this interview […]

Isaac Kekemeke was the immediate past chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State and one of the party’s governorship aspirants in the October gubernatorial election in the state. He had also served as Attorney-General, Commissioner for Lands and Housing as well as Secretary to the State Government all in Ondo. In this interview he spoke on his ambition and the need for the APC unite as a force to be able to win the governorship election in Ondo, amongst other issues. Excerpts:

 

You are contesting for the Ondo governorship seat; do you think you have what it takes?

I believe without being immodest that I have what it takes to run this state and run it well. I want to run this state for the sole benefit of the citizens, their happiness and ensure their well being. I want to impact directly on their lives and ensure they live comfortably and decent lives. I have been here for three decades. I have been permanently living here. I know the pain of the people and the people know me very well.  So I think I have what it takes. I have the experience and I have the competence. I have the commitment and I have the character to bring about a happy state and happy people.

What do you intend doing differently from what the present administration is doing is doing?

The first thing under my administration is to create a prosperous and peaceful state where people will find work to do and live meaningful lives. Our mission is to maximally with the aid of science and technology, use natural resources to create wealth. We intend to make government seeable, touchable and feel-able. We will use governmental power to fight hunger, poverty, unemployment, insecurity and rescue our decaying basic infrastructure in this state. In the area of education, we will declare free and compulsory primary education and introduce highly subsidized tertiary education. In healthcare area, we intend to run what will give all access to affordable and quality healthcare. We will do this through provision of high level manpower at basic health level. We intend to make quality drugs available and at affordable prices. In the economic sector, we intend to privatize agriculture, create the concept of single farmer industry, that is, agro allied. We will promote entrepreneurship and skill acquisition as well as tourism. There are programs that will change the face of the state and lives of our people for better.

What are you doing to bring the warring factions in APC together in the state?

Division and differences in a political party are normal occurrences. There is nothing wrong if we have tendencies and groups within the party but with the directives and encouragement of our leaders in what we call the July meeting where Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, Baba Bisi Akande, Aremo Segun Osoba, Gov Kayode Fayemi, former Governor Adebayo and a host of others were present to resolve that we should find domestic solution to the crisis. That led to the setting up of the Ondo State Advisory Council and we are using the instrumentality of that office to bring together all stakeholders and all who genuinely love this party to work for peace. It is time to bring them into the affairs of the party and hopefully, soonest that would be achieved through the instrumentality of the national reconciliatory committee headed by Chief Bisi Akande and our own advisory committee.

It is being said in some quarters that what you are really targeting is the position of deputy governor. How true is this?

It is wicked rumour and mere fiction. It has no author. It is an attempt by people who are threatened by our visibility to de-market us. We cannot be de-marketed. Nobody does this kind of work to become deputy governor. People do this kind of work to become governor and I have asked the question, deputy governor to whom? I don’t need deputy governorship position. I want to be governor and I am working hard at it. I work very hard to ensure we create a peaceful and prosperous state where citizens will find work to do. I have goals to achieve and how can I jettison all that. I am not an office seeker. I am a change agent and I know what to do to change the face of this state forever, positively. be rest assured that the foundation of

You were the immediate past chairman of APC in Ondo State, at what point did you start having problem with some of the leaders in your party?

I did not have problem with any leader in our party. I was voted in for four year tenure in 2014 and that was supposed to end in 2018. We had our elections in 2016 and Governor Akeredolu took over in 2017 February. It was clear to me after his victory that he didn’t want to work with me and I didn’t think I should start trouble for his administration, so I stayed away and they went on until in 2018 when it was time for another congress and a new set of leadership emerged.

But at a point, there was a court case over the matter….

I didn’t go to court. A number of my supporters went to court to challenge the legality or otherwise of a letter from the national secretariat appointing my deputy as acting chairman. I didn’t see the need to go to court because the letter itself stated that the decision was unilateral and that it was without the authority of the National Working Committee and the national executives. For me, my job as chairman ended when the party under my leadership won the presidential, the National Assembly and governorship elections. My job did not involve dancing around the governor as chairman of the party.

Some people said you were in the camp of the APC National Leader Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and that you were working for his candidate at the time, how true?

Like everyone else, I was a voter at that election but I didn’t vote. I also have a right to vote for whomever I wanted. On the allegation that I was working for Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, he was not a contestant at that election but he is our leader and he remains our leader. I wonder if those accusing me can openly come out to say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not their leader. I also doubt if those accusing me do not dance around him. The truth is that he is our leader any day and I am happy to be associated with him anytime, any day.

Sir, you have served in the state in various capacities, how has been the experience?

The time I have held offices, I tried hard to discharge my responsibilities to the best of my ability. As Commissioner for Works, we constructed over 1,000 km of roads under the late Governor Agagu’s administration in three years. As Attorney General, we established the office of the Public Defender which continues to provide legal services to people free of charge but at government expense. As Secretary to Government, we worked very hard to provide assistance to governor Agagu  a functional and efficient governance. I have tried hard to serve to the best of our ability in every other capacity that I have been privileged to so serve.