The Ekiti State Governor and All Progressives Congress, APC Presidential Aspirant, Dr Kayode Fayemi has pledged to build on solid foundation laid by President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC – led federal government in the last seven years if elected as the next president of Nigeria in 2023.
Fayemi who has christened his programme of action as ” The Nigeria Project’ said “in the period since we won power at the federal centre in 2015, we have built up considerable experience on what works and what does not work in the administration of national affairs.
“Among the various successes we have recorded are: the massive leadership we have shown in the development of the national infrastructure, the makings of a national social policy system, the unleashing of a national innovation system, the reinvigoration of long-term multi-year development planning and investment, and the facilitation of the creative industry, to cite just a few.
” To the credit of our party and His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, we have deliberately sought to make multiparty political competition in Nigeria less uncivil and much cleaner.
” We have also successfully ensured that the voices of citizens as the electorate count more than ever before. Edo and Anambra states are testimonies to the gallant effort that our President and leader has personally championed to make the national political system saner and more reflective of the true and genuine will of the people. We have every reason to be proud and to hold our heads high for these and other achievements”.
” Esteemed members of the APC, the import of the foregoing is simple: While we can be proud of the road we have travelled since 2015, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels as a party or be complacent about anything. It is imperative that we openly and honestly acknowledge the important national tasks ahead and develop a coherent and comprehensive plan that can enable us to confront them. This we must do by resolutely learning lessons of experience”
Fayemi who added he is ready to lead the collective effort to help complete the next phase of continuing quest for national greatness stated “I do so, fully convinced that the APC remains the party that is best placed to carry forward the unfinished agenda of our national renewal to which we committed as a united body of compatriots coming from all parts of Nigeria”.
He said “in making myself available to serve as the standard bearer for our political campaign to be re-elected as the party of government in all three tiers of our federal system, I am fired up by an unalloyed commitment to the founding ideals and principles that underpinned the formation of our party.
” I come before you as a party member who has had experience at the federal and state levels both as a two-time governor and as a federal minister. I am proud to be counted among those in civil society who organised to demand an end to prolonged military rule in our country. I have been engaged since the 1990s in supporting efforts at building strong pan-Nigerian agendas and platforms that can drive the forward march of our beloved country. As a loyal party person, I have been actively involved in planning and operationalising many of our political campaigns, starting from the first and, undoubtedly, most acclaimed presidential primary that we held in 2014. And I have taken a cue from our elders in the party to promote a much greater civility in our political processes.
“As a two-term chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, it has been my privilege and honour to promote healthy inter-governmental relations for the advancement of our democracy and cross-party collaborations that foster national unity”.
Fayemi has also pledged that his campaign will be devoid of attacks on any person’s but will focus on programmes and initiatives that will uplift the APC and the country, saying ” I commit to traverse the length and breadth of our country and meet our members with the mindset of an unrepentant believer in a united Nigeria and the passion of a fighter for justice, equity, and inclusivity. Campaigns are competitions aimed at wooing voters to the cause of a candidate, not wars that are prosecuted as a zero-sum game.
” You can count on me to operate my campaign on the basis of basic decency and a healthy respect for the rights of other candidates even where I have cause to disagree with them on policy, strategy, and/or their electability”, he said.
Fayemi has also pledged to work with the APC governors to transform the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) into a formidable autonomous body for policy advice in the administration of national affairs and the promotion of baseline standards in the management of the states controlled by the party.
” Similar platforms for the Speakers of our State Houses of Assembly and Chairs of our local government councils will enjoy my support to become active fora for consultation, coordination, and harmonisation. An active caucus between our leaders in the party National Secretariat, the National Assembly, and key actors in the Presidency will be operated to ensure that the party and its officials in the executive and legislative arms of government work in concert”, he said.