A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ekiti State, Dare Bejide, has issued a strong warning to political opponents against underestimating the party's capabilities ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state.
Bejide, a former Ambassador to Canada and pioneer secretary of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti, made this declaration on Saturday in Ado Ekiti while celebrating his 66th birthday with political allies, friends, loyalists, and party members.
"We have an influx of people joining the party everyday. From the All Progressives Congress (APC), People's Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties, just wait and see. As far as I'm concerned, when I win the ticket and the mandate of the party, we will spring surprises," Bejide stated.
The governorship aspirant explained his departure from the PDP, saying, "I was the pioneer secretary of the PDP in the state and the party presently has been hijacked by the 'bad boys', so nobody wants to wrestle with the 'pig', that was why we left. In APC too, democracy has taken a flight and so everybody wants to be at the place where democracy can flourish."
Bejide emphasized that the ADC would conduct transparent primaries, unlike other parties that impose candidates on their members. He noted that this democratic approach would attract aggrieved members from other political parties.
Transparent Process Key to Party Unity
Addressing concerns about potential internal wrangling due to members' ambitions, Bejide highlighted the importance of a transparent selection process.
"Ambition in a way can split a party if there is no process. For instance, when a political party believes in imposition of candidates, then whoever is aggrieved would not be very happy. But once there is a transparent process, both the winner and the loser will embrace each other. Because it is like they have fought a very good battle as winner and as loser," he explained.
Development Agenda for Ekiti
Outlining his plans for Ekiti if elected governor, Bejide promised to prioritize youth and women development, noting that these demographics constitute a larger portion of the state's population.
"If elected, I would pay more attention to their development, provide an enabling environment for them to flourish. For the youths, I would make farming more attractive to them. It will no longer be a manual thing but mechanized agriculture," he said.
The ADC chieftain also promised to establish skill acquisition centers in all three senatorial districts of the state and ensure free retraining for artisans, including mechanics, vulcanizers, and bricklayers.
On women's inclusion, Bejide pledged, "There would be lots of appointments for women in our cabinet, even far more than 34 percent affirmative action." He also committed to improving the state's infrastructure by addressing the deplorable state of roads.
Chief Segun Akinwumi, another stalwart of the party, confirmed that the ADC is working out modalities to ensure victory in the 2026 governorship election. "The first thing we are doing is to get the credible platform which we have gotten now, that is ADC. Followed by credible candidate. Ekiti people are disenchanted with the present government," he stated.
Akinwumi expressed confidence in Bejide's candidacy, saying, "As things are now, in another two months' time everyone will know that ADC is out for real thing. Ambassador Bejide that we are trying to bring up now has all that it takes to be governor of this state."
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