Ondo State is bigger than Akeredolu- DI Kekemeke
- He cannot get sympathy and cooperation from the people he excluded.
Hon Isaac Kekemeke needs no introduction anytime Ondo Politics is being mentioned. He was a Legislator, a former member of the State Executive Council and a seasoned Legal Practicioner that has been resident in Ondo State for 3 decades uninterrupted.
The pioneer Chairman and the Ieading Aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State recently hosted the Chronicle Magazine Crew where the efforts of the Government to contain Corvid -19 pandemic and his programs and readiness to turn the State around as Governor were discussed.
There is this rumour that you may likely settle for Deputy Governorship ticket considering the fact that you neither belong to Unity group nor Aketi Team. What is your response sir?
I have reponded to this several times. It does not make any sense for me to be doing what I have been doing in the last fifteen months so I can be someone’s deputy. I am beginning to be very unimpressed with those still asking me this, including you . You keep repeating a fiction that is authorless. I want to be Governor of this state because I have a vision, I have a mission and I have programmes.I have a divine call orchestrated by genuine repentance and helped by.experience. I’m tired of answering the same question over and over again; I don’t want to talk about it anymore.
What is going to be your area of concentration?
The summary of my campaign team is the people first. It is time to redirect and refocus government’s effort at performing the sole responsibility of the government; which is the protection and promotion of the wellbeing and welfare of the people. The very reason we came about the vision to create prosperity and peace so that citizens can find work to do and live meaningful and decent lives. Our programme is such that we want to use the entire governmental power to fight hunger, poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and rescue our basic infrastructure that is either decaying or decayed; simple! Every action and inaction of government must revolve around the people and the people only. Will it bring happiness to the people? The germaine questions shall be: Will it reduce hunger? Will It provide job for our people? Will it help with the security of life and properties of the people? Will it provide basic infrastructure? These are the issues, nothing more nothing less.
Overtime, we have seen politicians unable to meet up to their promises during the electionaring time when they get to the office, what is responsible for that and how do you think your own is going to be excepted?
My answer is that overtime we have seen politicians who say nothing. Overtime, slogans have replaced messages unlike in the days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Hope 93 and here in Ondo state under Dr Olusegun Agagu. say anything. I will give “Gbasibe” what does it say? Overtime there have been no messages. We last heard about messages during the time of Obafemi Awolowo and maybe under Hope93 and maybe under Agagu . So, for a long time politicians haven’t served the people messages.I have amessage. And I have codified my message and produced it; a sixteen page document that I call “Our Agenda for a prosperous and peaceful state” which is my offer letter to the people. People can openly see it. It is in my website, in an e-book, it is in hard copy, everywhere. I’m capable of doing what i’m saying, because we have also established three core values for the campaign and for our government that is incoming. The core values are Competence, Commitment and Character. That’s the difference. We would tell you what we want to do, how we want to do it and the strategy for doing it, and we would tell you why we are able to do it; this is the difference in these campaigns.
Sir, before you become the flag bearer of your party, you must have passed through the primary, is it easy for somebody that does not belong to either The Unity group nor Aketi Team to qlinch the party ticket in Ondo State as far as the political situation of the state is concern?
All I know is that I have a message, I am known, I know the people of this State.I ‘ve been permanently resident here for three decades, and I am doing so much work and it will surprise people. God is my father and the people the instrument that God will use. It is the inaniliable right of every Party man to decide who flags the flag of the party and no one can hijack it in the name of a group or in the name of being an incumbent. That power is the biggest power in the hands of party men and women. We at Lekeleke
untiringly sensitize, educate, conscientize to jealously protect that power.
Do you think the State Government is doing the right thing to contain this pandemic known as Corona?
Like all other governments, I think the State government is engaged in advocacy, and what we have said in our campaigns is to ask everyone to join the advocacy by encouarging people to stay at home and be safe and to at the same tim reduce social and physical contacts. We also advice citizens to comply with the advisories of both the Federal and State government in it campaigns. The challenge however is that when we ask people to stay at home, what do we give them to eat? Most of the people rely on daily income, most of them have to hawk before they eat, we have asked them to stay at home, so what happens to them?
Do you think it is possible for a government to feed all the people of the State?
We don’t have as many citizens as American government and European governments have and yet they try to mitigate the suffering of their people. It’s all planlessness and the insensitivity. It’s government’s forgetfulness of its primary responsibility to the people. I’m not saying government should feed everyone but they ought to emplace a system of parliatives that will reduce the suffering that the people have had to face as a result of the need to stay at home for our common safety.
Recently the Governor of Ondo State constituted parlative and fund raising committees where he made his son the secretary to one of the committees, what is your position on this sir?
My position on this is that the Governor of the state needs to realize that he’s not the owner of Ondo State. He’s just the Governor and the leader. Ondo State is much more than him, his family, friends, associates, and his party members and the earlier he realizes that the better. The Governor of Ondo State needs to understand that you don’t get support, cooperation, sympathy, contribution, counsel etc from the people you exclude or feel excluded. The Governor needs a somewhat more altruistic and liberal disposition to the issues of governance and needs a global appreciation of his responsibility as Governor of this state.
If you are to be in the position of the Governor, what would you have done in this kind of situation?
I’ll be global in my outlook, I will be altruistic, and as one of my programmes in our agenda indicates, we would involve “The Omo ipinle Ondo” -the well to do citizens of this state cutting across political social , and ethnic lines. Mobilize them to support government campaigns and also support citizens from the blessings that God has showered on them .That’s what i would have done.
There is a severe hunger in the state now coupled with the issue of Corona virus, how would you advice the people of the state?
When everything else fails, you turn to God. What we do in the campaigns is praying to God that this phase should pass quickly, because if it lingers for too long hmm… It’s Catastrophe. Some people said that hunger would replace Corona and God forbid. So, we have to pray and pray that this passes soonest. The more reason we support the government by living safe, also by reporting as quickly as possible if you find people with symptoms so that it can just get away. Otherwise, the result would be unimaginable.
Sir, you said other aspirants are not on ground, can you shed more like on that sir?
That was just a joke. I am teasing you to know whether you have seen other aspirants in town. Of course, they have to be with their families and moreso, there is border closure.
What are your words to the media and the good people of Ondo State in this critical period of Corvid-19?
Let’s keep safe, let’s adhere to government advisories as much as possible,and let us pray. Don’t be too scared.There are positive sides to this. We have recoveries. If there is an early report, this can be treated and there is hope. So, there is no need for despair. Do not despair.
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