The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said he does not need to engage in propaganda about his performance in office to convince the people that he has done well, but that his work will surely speak for him.
Fayose said this in an exclusive interview he granted a Yoruba newspaper, Gudugudu Meje, in Ado-Ekiti.
He spoke against the backdrop of projects he commissioned in the state on Friday.
He said: “The people of the state are keeping records of every leader that has come to govern them and would never fall for cheap propaganda and blackmail from any quarter.”
According to a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Fayose noted that because of the political sophistication of Ekiti State people, any elected public office holder not living up to the expectation of the people are always rejected at the poll.
He advised his political antagonists to look at the history of elections in the state and they would see that Ekiti State people always rejected political pretenders once their antics have been discovered.
He said: “Our fathers have a saying that you know a lazy man’s farm by the way he keeps it. Nobody can hoodwink Ekiti people. They know what they want and who they want. I will never jump into the wagon of those whose stock in trade is propaganda. When they came into office through the back door, we all saw how they messed up the whole place.
“The person they took over from didn’t borrow a kobo, even when he wanted to take a bond of N5 billion from the capital market, they frustrated it. They came into office, enjoyed a period of huge statutory allocation and even excess crude money being shared. And for instance, in the month of June 2014, they got N4.4 billion as monthly allocation.
“In spite of all these, they still borrowed N25 billion from the capital market and billions of naira in commercial loans. They also diverted over N800 million UBEC fund and yet there was nothing to show for all the funds. Not done yet, they thought the back door through which they came to office was still open and they attempted another back door entry, but unfortunately for them, the door has been securely locked.
“People are aware of their tricks and Ekiti people are now telling them that once beaten twice shy. Let them go and enter the internet, sleep inside radio and television stations, their propaganda has failed woefully.
“I appreciate the workers and the good people of Ekiti State who know we have brought transparency to governance and who also appreciate our efforts at making life better for us all. They know how much comes to the purse of the government and they know that it is with prudent management of resources that we are doing all the projects we are doing.
“Apart from Ado-Ekiti where we have done roads, built a women development centre and where we are building a flyover and a modern market, we have not forgotten other places. Road projects are being executed in Ikere, ise, Ikole, Awo-Epe-Ijero, Iworoko-Iluomoba and many others. We have dualised the road in Afao, resuscitated water supply to Aramoko and many more.
“I will advise my opponents to wait till the election in 2018 and see what will happen. They were trounced 16-0 the other time, come 2018, they will even fail more woefully.”
Governor Fayose then enjoined the people of the state to continue to support his government, saying he would also not let them down.
