PDP should reconsider zoning policy, give ’eminently qualified’ Fayose a chance- Ladoja

A former Governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, Saturday stated that Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State was “eminently qualified” to contest the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urging the party to reconsider its zoning of the position to the North, following a private meeting with the governor.

Ladoja, who revealed that he was taking steps towards returning to the PDP, said that Fayose, as a successful governor and influential politician, represented a viable option for the party as it sought to reclaim power in 2019.

The former governor said, “Governor Fayose is my own brother and he is a go-getter. Whatever he sets his mind to achieve, he goes for it and he gets it. He is eminently qualified and possesses all the leadership capabilities to rule Nigeria and take us out of the woods.

“Some people in the PDP have said that they have zoned the presidency to the north, but it is left for Fayose to convince the members in the PDP to support him for his presidential ambition. He is fit for it judging from his antecedents as a quintessential leader in the country.

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“I also want to advise the party leadership to use zoning of the presidency in a way that would guarantee the PDP winning the election in 2019 and not as a way of favouring some individuals who may not be ready for the job”.

Speaking on Ekiti State politics, Ladoja said the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state should discard the thought of taking over power from the PDP in 2018.

He also expressed confidence that the PDP would take over power from APC in Oyo State in 2019, saying Governor Abiola Ajimobi had lost relevance, especially, with the ongoing kingship crisis.

“The whole charade would not stand and cannot stand as our tradition, norms and regulations in Ibadan recognize only Olubadan as the custodian of Obaship title and one who can confer it on anyone.

“Fayose has performed excellently well in governing Ekiti. There is no governor in this country today who can beat his chest two times and say my state came tops for two consecutive times in NECO.

“Fayose as a political enigma cannot be uprooted in Ekiti based on his good governance, transparency and the many good projects he is embarking on in the state and which has adorned the landscape of the Fountain of Knowledge.

“I, therefore, advise APC to forget Ekiti in 2018, as Ekiti people would not like to leave Fayose for the need to continue the good works of Fayose”, Ladoja stated.

 

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