Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has stated that it would be very tough for the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unseat the incumbent governor, Seyi Makinde, come 2023.
This open admittance according to the Kaduna State Governor is predicated upon the performance and good governance recorded in Oyo State under Governor Makinde since assumption of office in 2019.
El-Rufai made this known in Ibadan on Friday at the commemoration and send-off ceremony organized for the outgoing Director-General of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nteranya Sanginga.
El-Rufai however, maintained that APC will try its best to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reiterating that it would be tough because Makinde has governed well.
El-Rufai recalled how they argued during one of the governors’ sittings at the National Executive Council (NEC) on whether it was appropriate to lock down states during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic.
“After that debate, I went back to my state and I locked it down. Seyi went back to his state and did what he called a partial lockdown, but he locked himself down because he got COVID.
“The beauty of Nigeria is its diversity. In my state, I did what I felt was the right thing and he did what was best for his state.
“We’ll do our best to defeat you. But I know it will be tough because you’ve been a good governor.
“As Nigerians, we’re very grateful to you for what you have done here because each and every state in Nigeria is a beneficiary of the groundbreaking research that you have done.
“Both of you (Sanginga and Akinwumi Adesina of AfDB) are breaking ground along with others and you give our children hope that Africa can be anything it wants to be if it works hard.” El-Rufai stated.
In his remakes at the event which also witnessed the launching of Sanginga’s autobiography, ‘Leadership in African Agriculture’, Makinde said it was exciting to have worked with IITA on several projects in line with his administration’s vision to expand the state’s economy through agribusiness and to encourage youths to exploit the opportunities in the sector.
“There are so many lessons to learn from this great man because of his brilliance, passion and leadership style. We have worked together on several projects and I have no fears or worries about letting IITA lead projects such as the STEP.
“He asked me to come down to Fasola and I saw the pictures of ‘before and after’ and the students fried chin-chin, baked cake, which got me thinking that I used to have the same opportunity at Bishop Philips Academy but we lost it along the line.
“So, I asked him to extend the programme to all the senatorial districts in the state and we picked one school per senatorial district; and now, the programme has spread to 13 schools in Oyo state.
“This is the electioneering period, and I want to use this opportunity to tell the people of Oyo state that if I am given another opportunity to serve, we will take the Start Them Early Programme to more schools in the state.”
Present at the event are the President of African Development Bank (AfDB) Akinwumi Adesina, former Oyo state governor and the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland; High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, and representatives of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Ooni of Ife; Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
