Oshiomhole: Fayemi will address Ekiti’s ‘huge liability’

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday, assured Nigerians that the return of former Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to Ekiti Government House on October 16 would address the “huge liability” in the South-West state.
Fayemi was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday morning.
Oshiomhole, who expressed his happiness after a closed door meeting with members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, said: “We cannot ask for more, we celebrate not just the fact that we won, we celebrate that under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, we now can see that election can be conducted without people being hospitalised”.
The former Edo State governor also described the alleged exit of the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, from the party as a rumour.
Reacting to what the party called speculation, Oshiomhole said the party had a cordial relationship with Ortom.
“I know that Governor Ortom is a very senior member of the party and he has said so repeatedly in print and has said to me one on one that he will not leave the APC, unless he was pushed out.
“Since I assumed the chairmanship of this party along with my colleagues in the NWC, I know of a fact, that we have not shut out any governor and certainly not Governor Ortom.
“And in these days of social media, I will not be responding on the basis of rumour and unverified reports,” the APC chairman said.
On Ekiti, Oshiomhole said APC was excited not because it won the election, but particularly with the process.
“We just want to make sure that the results of the election reflect the will of the people.
“You will also recall that there were issues about police deployment.
“I am very happy that all the commentators and observers, including the European Union are happy that the election was free of violence and that the process was free and fair”.
He said the party was very proud of its accomplishment at the election and had asked Fayemi to reflect on all that should be reflected on before his swearing in.
He added that Ekiti people could not afford to wait any longer to see a renewed and refocused leadership that would ensure the quality of life of the people.
He further added that the party’s leadership had appealed to Fayemi to see the wisdom to carry along various shades of opinion and also to reach out to the opposition.
“In fact, democracy works well regardless of who wins. If the winner governs well for the benefit of all, indeed, the people can never lose in a democracy.
“And we trust that Fayemi will do all that, including addressing the huge liability,” he stressed.