The Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Babafemi Ojudu has joined the 2018 governorship race in Ekiti.
He declared his intention at the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat in Ajilosun, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital on Friday.
Ojudu hail from Ado Ekiti in Ado local government Area of the state.
Ojudu, who hopes to run on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), vowed to defeat Governor Ayo Fayose and his preferred candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola if he wins the ticket of the party.
The journalist-turned-politician
Ojudu vowed that the APC administration would recover all assets, including choice houses, allegedly acquired by Fayose with Ekiti funds since his return to power in 2014.
The presidential aide held a three-in-one event which started with the inauguration of his campaign office along Textile Road before holding a rally at Okeyinmi Roundabout.
Popular Fuji musician, Saheed Osupa, was on bandstand at the rally which where Ojudu addressed his supporters before the campaign train moved to the APC secretariat located in Ajilosun area of the city.
The governorship hopeful, who was accompanied by his wife, Tola, officials of his campaign organization, friends, associates and other admirers.
They were received by party executive led the state Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye, where a big razzmatazz was on display.
Mrs. Olaleye promised that the party would conduct a transparent, credible, free and fair primary election among all its aspirants. She said the party is poised to regain power at the July 14 poll to give Ekiti people good governance and better standards of living.
Speaking at the party secretariat, Ojudu urged APC leaders and members to unite and chase Fayose and his proxy out of power and save Ekiti State from total collapse.
He explained that he was prepared for a big fight ahead to rescue the state from Fayose’s grip urging all party leaders and members unite and work APC victory at the poll.
Ojudu emphasized that he has concrete evidence to proof that Fayose has allegedly been using funds belonging to Ekiti State to acquire property including not less than twenty houses and parcels of land in choice areas of the state capital.
He said: “I have counted not less than twenty houses illegally acquired with money belonging to Ekiti State by Fayose in many parts of Ado-Ekiti alone.
“We are going to recover all these buildings when we get to power. Properties including the land acquired at Ojumose, the land near Mr. Biggs where he has been building a hall and a house near the Ado-Ekiti High Court.
“I have the pictures of those houses, I know the contractor and we are going to retrieve all these assets illegally and unlawfully acquired with our funds.
“All of us must rise to fight for the recovery of our state and I can’t wait for the day I will lead the party to victory. With your support, we can restore our state to the path of prosperity.”
According to him, everything humanly possible would be done to prevent Fayose from installing his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, which he said would spell doom for Ekiti.
He added: “But our party needs to tread cautiously to be able to defeat this cunning man. We must be able to hold secret because he had succeeded in infiltrating our ranks. He has planted people in our ranks to leak vital information to him, so we must be cautious.
“I know that the challenges of the recent years have galvanized our people to be resolute to fight the battle ahead. The next election is a must-win for APC.
“Fayose is planning to rule the state by proxy by attempting to put his surrogate on the governorship seat. Let me assure you, we are going to foil such attempt.
“Let me say this, I have all it takes to liberate Ekiti from the slavery they were put into by Fayose. I had once defeated him in a senatorial contest and I will do same again if given the opportunity.”
