My allegiance will be to the 7.9 million people of Oyo State, if elected in 2027, Hon Bimbo Adekanmbi, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) in Oyo State, has declared.
He made the declaration while featuring on the “Good Morning Show” programme of the Arise Tv, on Tuesday.
The APM governorship candidate, however, assured that he will continue with the developmental efforts of incumbent Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, if he became the governor.
Why my allegiance will be to the people
While acknowledging the huge support he received from Makinde, Adekanmbi categorically stated that he will be a surrogate to the teeming masses of the state, with the incumbent governor being one of them.
“The people of Oyo State own Bimbo Adekanmbi and I am people-centric, I am going to be a surrogate to the 7.9 million people of the state as we will be elected to serve the interest of the entire state,” he asserted.
The APM governorship candidate dismissed insinuation that his government would be a third term arrangement for Makinde, declaring that it was a wrong notion.
He, however, emphasised that he will be more than willing and ready to be a “higher version” of the incumbent by building on his achievements in office in the last eight years.
According to him, Governor Makinde has, in his two-term tenure of office, built enduring legacies and recorded unprecedented achievements in the critical sectors of the state.
Adekanmbi further said: “I won’t discard the achievements of Governor ‘Seyi Makinde. I am going to carry on from where he will stop on 29 May, 2027.”
Speaking on his emergence as the candidate of the party, the former state Commissioner for Finance explained that he was not handpicked and imposed by the governor.
He disclosed that his candidacy was the outcome of a rigorous exercise involving necessary stakeholders in the party, and across the state.
“The governor didn’t just sit down and draw the list of candidates for our party. Myself and other candidates of the APM emerged through consensus after consultations and engagements with the necessary stakeholders of the party.
“That is why after the exercise there has been no rancour among our members.
“Many people had thought that candidate selection would lead to implosion and explosion among us, but, today, nobody raises any eyebrows because everyone was carried along in the process.
“After my emergence, I have gone round the zones that we have in the state for thank-you-visits and, everywhere we went, we were well received, that shows that the APM is one in the state,” he said.
He also spoke on what stood him out in the governorship contest, declaring that, as a professional, he has always been a problem-solver that has found solutions to issues in critical situations.
According to him, while serving as the Commissioner for Finance in the government of the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, he was able to handle the Ibadan Urban Flood Programme to earn a commendation from the World Bank.
Adekanmbi added that, in his capacity as the commissioner, he ensured that the state Board of Internal Revenue was independent and was able to function maximally.
The Oyo APM governorship candidate said he would adopt a holistic approach to solve the problem of insecurity in the state, particularly in the Oke-Ogun axis.
He said he would localise the efforts at solving the problem by engaging the people of the affected communities.
According to him, the state security outfit, Amotekun, would be strengthened for optimal performance, adding that local people would be recruited from such communities to complement the conventional security agencies.
He also said his administration would work with other local and recognised security organisations to ensure adequate security for the people of the state.
The APM candidate also noted that there were many people that were not accounted for and without proper data that were living in the affected communities.
He said, if elected, his government would ensure proper identification and collection of data of such people and their daily activities to give room for monitoring.
Adekanmbi also said the government would collaborate with the necessary stakeholders like the traditional institution, and religious bodies, among others for proper security of lives and property of the people.
