Former President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State, Prof. Dayo Faduyile, has disclosed that he is in the race to win the ticket of the party and not to negotiate in order to step down for anyone.
Faduyile, who was the Special Adviser to the late former governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, stressed that, with his professional experience and political background, he is equipped with the tools to fly the flag of the party at the polls and subsequently lead the state as governor.
The governorship aspirant stated this while meeting with the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party over his plan to commence local council tour ahead of the party’s primary in April.
According to the late NMA President, Akeredolu, he never mentioned his successor at any of the State Executive Council (SEC) meetings.
He said: “I am a professor of medicine. Professor of Medicine is not something you get by chieftaincy or by votes. I will not come and waste my time on negotiations. There is no reason why I should come and seek negotiation. I am not here to play; I am here to win.
“When we are talking about leading the state, we must have someone who has done very well in his or her profession. I must tell you that I am a doctor. I am not only a doctor; I am a consultant, and that is the zenith of being a practicing medical doctor.
“I contested in 2020 against the incumbent then. So it is not a new thing for me to contest against an incumbent. But in 2020, I collapsed my structure with the incumbent. The only superior argument that made me do that was because of the agreement on zoning in the state. For every other reason, I was adamant.”
Faduyile advised those banking on the endorsement of the late Akeredolu to work hard, stressing that “I am touting God for this project, the ultimate decider of all things. I work with the late Akeredolu. I can tell you authoritatively that Akeredolu has no preferred candidate.
“I attended all the SEC meetings, and he never said anything about his preferred candidate to the cabinet members, not once.
“Endorsement is good, but you have to work for it. I am working hard, and I am believing that with God, all things are possible. We have to work for endorsement.”
Faduliye, however, promised to use technology to boost youth employment as well as give priority to the development of agriculture in the state to tackle food insecurity.
The Chairman of APC, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, in his response, who advised aspirants to eschew violent acts, urged Faduliye to focus on youth empowerment if elected as governor.
