The two leading governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vying for the number one seat in Ondo state on Sunday participated in a governorship debate, laying out their plans for the electorate in the state if voted into office
The two main contenders, the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the APC and Agboola Ajayi of PDP debated on prevalent societal issues which include, security, economy, education, infrastructure and agriculture among other issues.
The two candidates also presented their proposed policies to the people of the state if elected into office in the upcoming November 16, 2024 elections.
In the debate which was broadcast on Channel TV with Ajayi promised to give priority to the security of lives and property in the state, while Akeredolu also promised to continue to fund Amotekun to keep the state safe.
The two candidates disagreed over the monthly security votes collected by the governor, while Ajayi maintained that Aiyedatiwa has been collecting N1.2 billion as monthly security votes for the past ten months, but said the funds failed to reflect any significant improvement in the state’s security situation.
Ajayi who challenged the governor to disclose the exact amount he receives each month said “I challenge the governor to make public how much he’s collecting if he says I am lying about the N1.2 billion figure,” Ajayi stated.
But Aiyedatiwa dismissed Ajayi’s claims and declined to disclose the monthly security vote, citing security concerns and said “my brother can’t come here and be lying. Is he in government?
“Amotekun can trace crime to its root cause and the corps is ready to transform into a state police.
“There’s nothing like N1.2 billion security vote. It is a lie from the pit of hell. Security vote is a Security issue and I can’t reveal it”
Speaking on the issue of minimum wage, Aiyedatiwa said that workers in the state are happy that his administration was ready to pay N73,000, but Ajayi promised to jerk the minimum wage to N76,000 to make the state workers happier.
“Ondo State workers will be happier when I pay N76,000. I know how administration works better than Aiyedatiwa. I have been a local government chairman, member of the House of Representatives, Deputy Governor, and Acting Governor.”
On the allegation of the ruling party to deploy Amotekun fir the election in the state, Aiyedatiwa, who dismissed the allegation, emphasized that his administration would not deploy the security outfit during the election.
However, Ajayi said the move would be resisted by the people of the state saying “We will resist the use of Amotekun during the coming election. When I become governor, I will strengthen Amotekun but will not use it during any election.”
While Ajayi maintained that many of the industries to boost the economy of the state has gone moribund, Aiyedatiwa stated that “there are industries in Ondo State, among which is the Linyl industry in Ore,where cassava is being converted toto ethernol and make textile materials.
“We have a lot of investors that have shown interest to invest in agriculture in the state. They are interested in the state because of the peace existing in the state.
“There are businesses that the government does not ge involved in but to provide the enabling environment. Investors are ready to invest in Ifon ceramic. We are clearing land to boost farming, particularly cocoa.
But Ajayi said “The poor people in Ondo State are more in numbers. What we rely on in Ondo is the collection of salary. The cocoa industry of the state has not positively impacted the economy of the state.
“No single palm oil factory in Ondo State. When I become governor, I will establish sunshine glass factory to replace the defunct Oluwa glass.
“We will also invest in our local airport, which is a cargo airport, to boost agriculture and food security for the state. There is no single tractor in the state, so the government is not prepared to invest in agriculture.
“There no single development in Ilaje communities and the governor is from the area. When I am governor of Ondo, in one or two years, I will initiate policies that will drive the cocoa industry in the state.
He described the creation of local government as criminal, saying the creation of local government is a usurpation of power and said “as governor, I’ll cancel the Ministry of Local because it is criminal not to allow local as their affair.
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