Makinde rejects call for second term, says ‘let performance speak for us’

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday rejected calls for his possible return for the second term in office.

The governor said he would not hesitate to step on peoples’ toes in order to improve the state, adding that second term would be determined by the people.

A statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, said the governor stated these while performing two separate functions in his office.

According to the statement, the governor, while receiving reports of seven committees set up by his administration to look into various issues in the state, said: “I have seen people come to me and said I should not do some certain things or take certain decisions because of the second term. Those that are interested in the second term should wait, at least till 2022. For now, we should do the job the people have committed to our hands and do things that will place Oyo State on the path of greatness.”

Meanwhile, the governor who also received the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, Mr. Musa Wada, also advised his counterparts across the country not to allow second term interest diminish their responsibilities in office.

“The people are the sole determinants of the fate of the politicians. Fresh term, second term are all linked to what we have for the people. During the first term, you make promises to the people and once you start ticking those boxes, the people can always decide that they want you to come in first and later say they want you to continue,” the governor said.

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Makinde said his government would welcome ideas from the citizens to move the state to greater heights, saying: “I want to say this publicly; some of us on this side of the table are not the brightest. No. We have just been blessed that God provided the opportunity for us and that’s why we value what you have to say. We value your contributions.

“Whatever we need to do on infrastructure, we need to target our economy. So, I want to implore anyone who has advice for us should inform us because we don’t have any other place we can call home.”

The committees that presented their reports included the Investigative Panels on Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun Polytechnics; Committee on Dismissal/Retirement of Civil Servants between 2011 and 2019; Committee on Review of Contracts/Projects between 2017 and 2019 and Task Force on Review of Operations at the Bola Ige International Market, Gbagi, Ibadan, among others.

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