The factional governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Otunba Segun Showunmi, yesterday declared that nobody had enough resources to buy him off the ballot in the coming elections.
He dispelled rumours that he was being sponsored by certain interests to scuttle the chances of the party, insisting that the primary election conducted by the Adebutu camp could not stand and that the one that produced him (Showunmi) as candidate, followed the rules.
He was responding to a question on whether he was being paid to cause crisis in the PDP during his pre-campaign interaction with reporters in Abeokuta.
Showunmi said contrary to mischievous reports that he was being paid by some political leaders to cause crisis in the state chapter of the PDP, his ambition was built on improving the socio-economic condition of the state with what he described as the “new deal” for Ogun people.
“I feel irritated when people say this. Why do you think somebody has to pay me? Nobody has enough resources to buy me off. Friends, family and associates are passionate about Ogun State and about my ambition. Between us, we will fund this campaign adequately,” he said.
Read Also: Ogun 2023: The crown and the clowns
The governorship candidate, who was the spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign in 2019, said it was not only irritating, but also insulting for anyone to insinuate that he lacked the capacity to run a good campaign, whether in terms of resources or not.
He said he remained the only experienced and qualified candidate to govern the state.
“I’m not building my castle in the air; I’m not playing, they know it, I know it. I have the ability within me, my family and my very close associates to fund this campaign embarrassingly lavishly. They should stop bragging about money.
“We are going to run a very intelligent campaign, a campaign that is issue-based, a campaign that puts the candidate before you to answer questions on why, on how and on when.
“I’m running on a new deal, sincerely set principle. I have looked at the governance space in Nigeria and in Ogun State, in particular, and I’m convinced that we cannot keep doing things the way we have been doing them and expect an outcome that is different from the ones we have been having.
“I don’t accept, for instance, that Ogun can afford to have a very high number of out of school children who are no longer interested in education. I don’t accept this, giving our pedigree, in peer review exams like NECO, WAEC and others; we will be so low compared to other states,” Showunmi said.