A chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Babatunde Gbadamosi, says the party stands a chance of winning back some states in the south western part of Nigeria in the next governorship elections, insisting that the electorates in some of the states are fed up with the state of things.
As at 2007, the PDP was in power in Oyo State, Ogun State, Ondo State, Osun State and Editi State, but the All Progressives Congress (APC) are currently in charge of six states, leaving Ondo State to the Labour Party.
Mr Gbadamosi cited Ekiti and Osun States as the two major states that the PDP was looking to take over in the state’s next governorship elections.
He said that the people of Ekiti were tired of the leadership of the state.
“The people of Ekiti are very discerning, smart and not easy to deceive continuously. They have had enough and they have said as much, over and over again to the incumbent governor that he must go.
Reducing Education Opportunities
“In Osun State, the people there are fed up by the deliberate attempt by the governor to divide the state along religious lines. He has shut down Christian schools, merged the girls in a Christian school with the boys in a Muslim school,” he said.
The governor of the State has said that the merger of schools is a programme of the state aimed at addressing a hopeless situation of the state’s basic education system.
However, Mr Gbadamosi insisted that the governor’s reason were baseless saying; “that it is a programme of the state does not give it legitimacy, it does not give it moral authority. You don’t shut down schools when you are looking to educate the children,” he pointed out, claiming that a school was shut down for a super mart.
He also said that the APC had a definite policy to reduce the number of education opportunities available to the youths in the south west, stating from Lagos State.
“That is why you see a situation where the Lagos State University is certainly one government school with the highest tuition fee in Nigeria and this is coming from a party that prides itself on its failed education policy.
“The people of the south west have, since the days of Awolowo, placed a huge premium on education and the current political tendency that is predominant in the south west is against education for the youth, a development that the south west people will reject in the next election,” he said.
The PDP chieftain insisted that the people of some APC led states were tired of the policies of the party.
He also said that the current leadership of the PDP would play a major role in the outcome of the 2015 election, describing the chairman of the party, Mr Adamu Mu’azu, as a seasoned administrator that had track records in Bauchi State.
On the National Conference that will commence on Monday, March 17, he expressed optimism that the conference would be successful, expressing hopes that “there will be some serious submissions that will be made and that people will address issues with the candle and honesty that they deserve.
