2023: I’ll jail looters in Ogun, says PDP aspirant

A governorship aspirant of the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Segun Sowunmi, has vowed that if elected in next year’s election, he would push for a diligent probe and prosecution of those who have governed the state and plundered its resources.

He expressed worry that the state had been plunged into debt as it would require a new administrator to renegotiate the debt.

• Sowunmi: Ogun requires biometric capturing to tackle insecurity
• 2023 Presidency: Abiodun finally picks Osinbajo over Tinubu

Sowunmi who was spokesperson for the PDP Presidential candidate in 2019 election, spoke at his Abeokuta residence, Ogun State, during Iftar (breaking of Ramadan fast) with journalists in the state.

The governorship aspirant declared that he would ensure that looters of the state’s resources are jailed, saying he should also be jailed if found to have also stolen from the state.

He said “I’m chasing immortality by the policies and programmes that we will run here. And if one day you find me a thief, jail me, because I will jail those who have stolen before me. Let nobody be deceived, I’m not asking to lead Ogun so that we can pamper ourselves. No.

“Government business is a sacred trust which you hold on behalf of all the collectives.

“This is Ogun. The vast majority of people living here are bona-fide citizens of this place whose parents are the owners of this land. You can not be in charge of our land, assets, taxes and goodwill, and all you will do is to steal and they will not probe you? You must be joking.”

He also declared that the gubernatorial election in the state can never be for the highest bidder, rather there should be issue-based campaigns on how to fix the state and inspire the younger generation.

“Ogun can never be for the highest bidder. It has never been for the highest bidder. It will never be for the highest bidder.

“We are noble people. We just don’t think that you should be throwing your weight around. We are not people that are coming to you with money. We are people of parents who have given us pedigree who have shown us handwork, values and insisted on us that it can be done,” he said.

Sowunmi promised to run a government with “complete paradigm shift from the status quo.”

He said “I’m interested in leading Ogun so that we may do three things. If we win, go and start a new deal. Whatever it is that they are limping on, called Obafemi Awolowo’s model needs to be rewritten, extended and redesigned.

“How do you explain that you can’t find Igbo people begging for money and it is Awolowo’s children littering the place doing “Babiya Allah”, a thing that was alien to our grandparents. Our grandparents didn’t really go to school, but do any of you have a recollection of your grandparents running up and down in the streets, begging for money? So, it means our model is not working.

“If our model is working, why are our people poor?”

He also accused the state government of paying lip service to security, education and development issues in the state.

Sowunmi insisted that biometric capturing of residents would assist in easy identification of culprits each time an offence is committed for diligent prosecution.