I’m happy I lost Oyo governorship election in 2019 – APC candidate

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 election, Bayo Adelabu, has said he is happy that he didn’t emerge victorious in the last poll.

He disclosed this during a media parley and lunch with journalists in Ibadan, Oyo capital, on Thursday to mark his 50th birthday.

The former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria noted that losing the election has afforded him the opportunity to know more about how progressives in the state operate.

“I have become wiser politically, closer to party leaders and grassroots politics. I can now relate well with the party faithfuls. I will be a better governor in 2023 than 2019.

“I will now be active politically. My interest in contesting is existing and will never die. I’m so confident and optimistic we shall dislodge PDP in unity by 2023. With the recent meeting, no party can stand the way of APC, come 2023”.

Mr Adelabu also condemned the current administration of Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He said the current administration lacks foresight.

“It is evident that I will remove Makinde. He lacks ideas. Everything this administration promised the people of the state is still on their wish list 16 months after coming on board. With the calibre of people that have returned to APC, no party can stand the way of our party,” he said.

“No state needs a governor before salary is paid. When salary is paid through statutory allocations and it goes straight to the Accountant General, they take it to the bank and they pay. Why must that be the major achievement of any governor?

“And when you embark too much on populist programmes, which, in most cases, are not always giving the state sustainable development, it is more about immediate consumption.

“Populist programmes are short-lived. Within a short period, people will know that this man doesn’t really have so much to offer in terms of sustainable infrastructural development.”

When contacted, Taiwo Adisa, the spokesperson to Governor Makinde could not be reached at the time of filing this report. He did not respond to calls and text messages seeking his reactions.