The immediate past Executive Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Comrade Ayeni Yinka Dallas (Olu-Omo of Isapa), on Thursday, officially joined the All Progressives Congress(APC) after reviewing reactions and rumor surrounding his defection.
While speaking during a press conference at the NUJ secretariat in Ilorin, Kwara State, Dallas said, it is high time he set the records straight and put the rumour mills to bed by announcing his defection to the ruling APC.
He said, “After carefully reviewing reactions and counter-reactions that have continued to trail my official defection to the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, it is expedient I set the records straight and put the rumour mills to bed once and for all.
“My trajectory and life journey thus far have seen me taking on clearly thought out actions and inactions which doesn’t necessarily have to fall into the projections of all, and on that note, I understand and appreciate the divergent opinions.
“I have been a Comrade all my life, I have lived a life which that has always demanded making hard and often controversial decisions. I am a complete product of struggle, my Secondary and Tertiary Education and even post-education life have all been dedicated to humanitarian struggle, selfless service, and championing collective goals.
“Consequently, it is not part of my personality traits to succumb to undue pressure or coercion to do whatever I am not convinced within myself is right to do. This is evident at the first instance of the defection of my colleagues from other local governments to the APC.”
Dallas dismissed the rumors of those saying he was forced to join the APC party led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
“It is, therefore, preposterous to posit that I, Comrade Yinka Dallas was forced to defect to the APC under the able leadership of Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
“I am too pragmatic to be forced into any decision, no thoroughbred Comrade can be forced, blackmailed, or cajoled to do what he is not truly or progressively convinced about, except relying on independently verifiable parameters.
“It would be recalled I was the last of the 16 local government Chairmen who decamped to the APC, it was because of my then ongoing wide consultations.
“Records of my press releases, appearance on radio and television of my refusal to be cajoled or forced to join the bandwagon of decampment without proper consultation of relevant stakeholders, assessment of the performance of the Governor we are decamping to align with and most importantly, the provision of dividends of democracy to the good people of Ekiti local government area of Kwara State, which is the sole purpose of my joining partisan politics in the first place, is public knowledge and suffices to the fact that I can’t be pushed over,” he posited.
He applauded the giant stride of the Governor in the area of youth empowerment and other social investment programmes.
The former Ekiti Local Government Chairman stated: “While applauding the giant’s strides of our leader in the area of youth empowerment via the social investment scheme, may I also implore His Excellency to consider our local government as a potential industrial agriculture settlement that will further enhance his commitment to creating jobs for our teeming youths and growing the State’s economy. This is considering the huge agricultural endowments and strategic position of Ekiti-Kwara as a gateway to at least three (3) neighboring States to Kwara.
“Myself, like other staunch supporters of Gov. AbdulRazaq have no doubt that his tempo of the great leadership of our State will not only be sustained but increased, that the gains of the Change Kwarans sought would be maximized optimally.
“Therefore, I stand here on my honour to confirm that, having dissected the activities of the present government of Kwara State, with respects to its pro-masses policies and programmes, demystification of governance and above all prioritization of infrastructural turnaround of the good people of Ekiti local government, I choose to queue behind Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led Kwara state APC.
“No gainsaying that the Governor’s elevation and saddling of numerous youths with leading responsibilities in his government was one of the major turn-ons that made me come out in the open to identify with him, offer my know-how while also volunteering to take the Isenlo and Ijoba Mekunu agenda of Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to nooks and crannies of the State through a soon to be unveiled multipurpose vehicle.
“If the Governor can, under short spate of two (2) years embark on some developmental projects, not minding the paucity of funds and the prevailing circumstances, then a Progressive with altruistic credentials is left with no choice than aligning with the train of progress.”
He, therefore, appealed to the Governor to expedite action on the Ekiti Kwara campus of the Kwara State University and make sure the project is fast completed.
“I nonetheless, like Oliver twist use this opportunity to appeal to our people’s Governor to please expedite action on the Ekiti Kwara campus of the Kwara State University. it is important to emphasize that the project occupies a vintage place in the heart of all sons and daughters of Ekiti-Kwara, I beseech our listening leader and Governor, to please expedite action on its completion and effective take-off,” the Comrade expressed.
