Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatization, Senator Ayo Arise has foretold Ekiti people that the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, would defeat the incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi in the next election. Speaking with the news men at Oye-Ekiti shortly after the campaign of the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Mr Ayo Fayose to Oye Ekiti at the weekend, Arise described Fayose as the new bride in the state.
“Take it or you leave it, Fayemi is going to lose this election. Our candidate is on daily basis winning new converts and followers. We are happy about that, the multitude of people you see in the field are not imported. We are going to defeat Fayemi,” Arise enthused.
On the refusal of some of the aggrieved governorship aspirants to support Fayose, the former lawmaker said though his committee has embarked on the reconciliation of all the aggrieved members ,saying the committee is not expecting 100 percent success at initial stage.
He noted that the committee has achieved more than 80 percent success, adding that he had no regret supporting Fayose, saying he had merely bowed to the wishes of generality of the party members.
Arise said he had agreed to work for the success of Fayose during the June 21 governorship election after due consultation with the national leadership of the party, adding that he was more impressed with the zeal for hard work and resilient on the part of the party’s candidate. According to him, if he had contested with Fayose and he was convinced that he was stronger than him in the field, that immediately after the primary, he would have conceded victory to him and congratulated him.
‘’During the time I was to run my second term bid with Senator Olu Aderounmu of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), immediately I noticed Olu was leading, that very day I picked my phone calling Olu to enjoy himself that l will not challenge him in the court. If some of our politicians could embrace this idea of politics without bitterness, the better for all of us,” he said
The Oye-Ekiti born politician assured that those who refused to be reconciled and those who are not members of the party would meet on the field and know who is superior among the political parties in the state. Arise therefore thanked the people of the state for the warmth reception accorded the candidate of the party in every part of the state.