A female governorship aspirant, on the platform of the All Progressive Congress, in Ondo, Engineer Funmi Waheed-Adekojo, has cautioned the party leadership against zoning in the upcoming poll, saying this might be counterproductive.
Waheed-Adekojo said competency should not be sacrificed on the Altar of any unwritten zoning arrangements, saying zoning practice has robbed the state of competent hands to rule the state
The governorship hopeful, however, appealed to party members to make a thorough assessment of all the aspirants on the party platform and ensure that they picked the best aspirant, regardless of the zone the aspirant hails from.
According to her, south agitators were right to advocate for the governorship seat as citizens of the state but maintained that the same privileges should be extended to other aspirants from other zones or areas.
She noted that all senatorial districts within the state have completed the cycle of zoning, saying there should be no need to place emphasis on zoning arrangement.
She said, “Whosoever picks first now starts the race of zoning again”
The leading aspirant, asked politicians to stop exploiting the electorate who voted them into power, urging them to focus more on uplifting the underprivileged people in the society.
He advised politicians and political officeholders to give priority to the welfare of the people by ensuring that the dividends of democracy are laid at the doorsteps of the downtrodden in society.
She said “Our politicians should stop selfish tendencies and change the attitude of exploiting the people who voted for them.
Disclosing her experience since joining the race, Waheed- Adekojo, said “My experience with the grassroots people is interesting and challenging. The majority of the politicians at the grassroots do not care about the poverty level in the state.
“The majority do not care about the future of their kids, and they do not bother about having an enabling environment for the next generation.
“We should focus more on uplifting the underprivileged people in the society. For me, I am in politics to help the needy and provide succour for the downtrodden.
“Our politicians should stop selfish tendencies and change the attitude of exploiting the people who voted for them.
” It is highly disgusting that politicians don’t care if you are a family member, long-term neighbour, or friend. Everyone has this sickness of let me quickly grab whatever I can grab and waka pass.
“I am grateful to God for the few innocent and genuine ones who still protect the interest of the state, but they are so few that their voices are covered with the lousy voices of these greedy ones.
“How I was able to manage the experience was to stop giving my hard-earned money to people of such calibre, not minding if they vote for me or not.
“I always let them know that I can’t waste my money. I worked very hard for my money, and I must give value to it.
“People don’t care about you when you are doing great things, so I am not disappointed that despite all the rich and powerful women in Ondo state, none came out to sponsor me. Even the men showed their support more than the women.
“In the coming election, I am not expecting much from anyone with the proper understanding I have now about the so-called grassroots people and politicians within the state.
“That is why I called it a game of chess. If I win the primary, that means God himself made it happen.
” If otherwise, I won’t be disappointed because I have seen the actual behaviour of the so-called people that I so much have passion for to rescue from their state of poverty, and realise that they don’t care about their lives themselves.
“Many politicians in my Constituency are not supporting my ambition. But, I am not disappointed at all that my acclaimed brother did not support my aspiration but decided to sponsor another candidate rather than his sister.
“I want to appreciate everyone out there that has the same passion like me for our dear Ondo state for change and good governance.“
