As Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s eight years’ tenure winds up in 2019, the competition is getting tougher day-by-day as many aspirants from all facets of life keep showing interest for Agodi Government House.

A renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and astute member of the ruling All Progressive Congress party (APC), Chief Adeniyi Akintola has revealed that he is the most qualified candidate to contest for the Oyo gubernatorial election under APC come 2019.

He made this known during an interview with CEOAfrica on Monday at his Ibadan residence.

Chief Akintola said “I am the most feasible, most credible and most potent aspirant in town, I am the leading aspirant, at least within the APC, and I do not know any other person that is more feasible or more active as I am.

My chances are very bright, among the aspirants, none of them has my pedigree, I am a foundational member of AD, I was one of those who wrote the constitution of PDP under the leadership of late Chief Bola Ige then, before AD was established and that is why PDP constitution is almost the same with AD because when the party was established, we didn’t have much time then we only changed the nomenclature and some fine tuning

My roles in APC cannot be overlooked; I was the arrowhead in the removal of PDP governors from the South West. I started with Edo State and then to other states, in fact, I was flown back from London to stand for Rauf Aregbesola when he was accused of throwing bombs and many more, I have seen it all, so my chances of winning are very bright.”

Akintola promised that he will ensure the continuity of APC governance if he gets to Agodi Government House. “The template is already there, just like Asiwaju laid the foundation in Lagos State, Fashola came, built on it and Ambode is sustaining it, when I assume governance, there are some things I would put in place that will be difficult for anyone coming behind to alter”

APC crisis

Speaking on the APC faction and their threats, Akintola said what is happening is a stump in the tea cup which will soon abate, he said the core progressive members will not leave because the party leaders are on top of the game but the decampee will definitely quit as it is normal for them to go back to their natural habitat.

Mr Akintola debunked the claim of being the anointed candidate of Gov. Ajimobi stating that everyone in the party has been given equal right and opportunity to contest.

“All of us have been given level plain ground, we are all making our consultation, and nobody has been stopped from contesting. For the first time in the history of Oyo State, Professors, Engineers, Lawyers, SAN are all aspiring for the position. What we have been having was the government of the illiterate by the illiterate for the enlightened but Governor Ajimobi has raised the template beyond pedestrian level. He is a gold and we cannot settle for anything else. If we cannot get Platinum to replace him, then, we can’t settle for anything less than gold, we can’t settle for a silver neither can we go back to the days of mismanagement

It is not a matter of being favoured by the Governor, it is a matter of what I have done before, some of us have put our lives on the line for democracy and the dividend is what we are enjoying” He said.

However, he said if he eventually lost the governorship bid, he will go back to his legal practice as he viewed ‘politics as a vocation and not a profession”