The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has faulted the claim that he is desperate to become the governor of Ekiti State for a second time.

Reacting to the allegation during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics in Ado Ekiti, he noted that he is contesting the July 14 election because he was unable to complete his mission in his first tenure.

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“I have a sense of unfinished business; not a sense of wanting to come back for desperate reasons,” the minister affirmed.

“I served as governor of the state for four years – whatever I’m doing is based on the record that somebody could be subjected to critical scrutiny.”

The former governor made the remarks one day after he was declared the winner of the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

He won the poll after polling polled a total of 941 votes, to defeat a former governor of the state, Segun Oni, as well as 31 other aspirants.

Dr Fayemi who commended the conduct of the primary, however, said it was not unusual in the political context for people to devise all manner of means to win an election.

He stated that he never got involved in any kind of insult with any of his co-contestant, adding that he got the blessing of President Muhammadu Buhari before taking part in the exercise.

The minister disclosed that sequel to his victory at the primary, he had visited about 12 of the other aspirants and had a robust discussion with them, including Mr Segun Oni and Senator Gbenga Aluko.

On how soon he would resign as a minister, he said, “I am not compelled to resign my position as minister until 30 days to the election, but I am going to resign my position within the next two weeks.”

Responding to Governor Ayodele Fayose’s remarks that he should expect worse defeat in July, Fayemi said he wouldn’t want to take the comments seriously.

He, however, took a swipe at Governor Fayose whom he accused of being “a common enemy” of the APC and Ekiti people.

The former governor also alleged that Governor Fayose spent the last three and half years in office doing nothing but, instead, took the state backwards.

He pointed out the situation where civil servants were being owed salary arrears for months, noting development should be about the ability to develop human capital to make a fundamental difference between progress and poverty.

Fayemi maintained that while there might be infrastructural development in the state, infrastructure should be a trigger for concrete development.