The lawmaker representing Ondo West Constituency in the Ondo State House of Assembly, Tomide Akinribido, has said that issues of security and economy would determine the voting pattern of Nigerians in next year’s general election.
Akinribido, who spoke in an interview in Akure, said the 2023 general election would be a battle between the Labour Party, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Akinribido, however, stated that the electorate would consider state of the country’s security and how the economy has affected their lives to determine who to vote for as the next President.
The lawmaker who expressed optimism that the PDP would defeat the APC in Ondo State said the people believed they had a better life under the PDP’s administration of late Dr. Olusegun Agagu and Dr. Olusegun Mimiko.
He said Nigerians do not feel policies of government because the budgeting processes do not take their actual needs into consideration.
His words, “Before venturing into politics, I had always seen the legislature as being short of performance and efficiency. The most important aspect of lawmaking is the passage of bill especially the budget. The electorate are not carried along efficiently in the process of budgeting. That is why majority of the policies of government are not in consonance with the most dire need of majority of Nigerians. That was my view before I became a lawmaker and it remains my view that the process of budgeting be better handled for government policies to be a reflection of what the people will benefit from.
“The PDP government of Dr. Olusegun Agagu and later Dr. Mimiko benefited the masses of Ondo more than the present APC government especially in the areas of general welfare of the citizenry, local economy of the state and infrastructure. I believe that the people of the state have tested both parties and their opinion is that they had a better life under the PDP.
“Every election is a referendum on the incumbent. The people of Ondo West will also have an opportunity to decide on the quality of my representation. They can attest that I brought in dynamism. I have bridge the gap between the legislator and my constituents. I have been able to surpass expectation especially as a young legislator in an opposition party by effecting a lot of social interventions.”