By Solomon Odeniyi
The governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy in the State of Osun, Mr Olugbenga Akintola has promised to build a state capable of creating wealth for the people.
He disclosed this after the declaration of the result last Sunday at Ideal Nest Hotel in Osogbo.
The result of the election was withheld after an internal crisis that erupted in the course of the election.
While declaring the result, Babatunde Tijani said 85 out of 90 delegates were accredited to vote. Gbenga Akintola polled 46 while Femi Kehinde got 37, 2 votes were voided.
Tijani declared Akintola the winner and the party’s flag bearer for the gubernatorial election having scored the highest number of votes cast as entrenched in the party’s constitution 2015 as amended.
In his acceptance speech, Akintola said his vision is to build a state capable of creating wealth for its people in good health, a state that fulfills its obligations through a capable workforce for industrialization and his Atunse agenda of economic development and human capital investment.
Akintola, an aide to Governor Ajimobi added that the economic development agenda would be geared towards restructuring the terms of the existing loan both local and foreign as well as the mode of payment as not to have an adverse effect on the people of the state, noting that he would solicit multilateral financing such as the Japanese agency, the Bill Gate foundation among others which provide funds for infrastructure development of states
He said: “If I emerge we will move our budget, from recurrent to capital. We will also make sure that our infrastructural development is simply finance by public private partnership. We will make sure salaries are well paid, as and when due. Arrangement will be made to upset backlog of salaries, gratuities in agreement with those owed. Agriculture will be linked to manufacturing. We will tailor our education sector to meet the world acceptable standard. We will invest heavily on primary health center to prevent people from various forms of illness our people are contending with “.
The AD flag bearer urged the people of the state to resist the temptation that comes with vote selling during the election, saying recouping the money spent would always top the agenda of such candidate if elected.
The acting chairman of the party, Barrister Olayinka Ojo noted that the party has the better chance to reoccupy the Oke Fia government house they built while at the helms of affairs.
He added that AD is not dead as being peddled by mischievous persons, noting that being one of the oldest parties, it has the structures to wrestle power from the ruling APC.
