2027: PDP’s Oluyede urges Nigerians to make presidential poll about performance, continuity

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The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the June 20 Ekiti State Governorship Election, Wole Oluyede, has urged Nigerians to make the 2027 presidential election a referendum on continuity, performance and national development rather than sentiment.

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The PDP chieftain, who is the Convener of the Oluyede Progressive Alliance for Renewed Hope Agenda (OPARHA), urged Nigerians to assess the President Bola Tinubu administration’s policies, reforms, infrastructure projects and economic measures and see reason to renew his mandate.

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He said, in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, that Nigeria could not afford to abandon long-term policies and projects of the Tinubu administration, hence the need for continuity, stressing that major economic and infrastructure reforms required time to mature and deliver their full benefits.

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Oluyede, who said the country was moving in the right direction while the foundation being laid by the present administration deserved consolidation, called on Nigerians to “support Tinubu for a second term of another four years which will be devoted to continuity, consolidation, completion and delivery of greater benefits to the Nigerian people.”

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He added, “The 2027 presidential election should not be a referendum on sentiment. It should be a referendum on direction, performance and continuity. It should be a referendum on what we have achieved, what remains to be done and who has the capacity to take Nigeria from reform to prosperity.

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“Nigerians should ask themselves whether they want to continue building on the foundation already laid or begin another cycle of starting all over again. Nigeria cannot afford to keep starting all over again. We have spent decades discussing infrastructure deficits, economic restructuring and diversification. Now that significant steps are being taken in these areas, we should be asking how to improve them and make them work better for Nigerians,” the PDP chief said.

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Oluyede, who said that the reforms of the Tinubu administration had been beneficial to the country in all sectors of the economy, also hailed infrastructure development under the present government.

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He cited the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway, Abuja – Kaduna -Kano Highway, Sokoto – Badagry Super Highway, East – West Road and other strategic federal highways as examples of projects capable of changing the country’s economic landscape.

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Oluyede said the significance of the road projects went beyond construction, saying, “A road is not just a road. It is an economic corridor. It connects farmers to markets, manufacturers to consumers, workers to opportunities and communities to the wider national economy. If we reduce the time and cost of moving people and goods, we improve productivity and create the conditions for businesses to grow”.

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He, however, urged the Federal Government to complement the infrastructure drive with stronger maintenance systems, transparency in project execution and strict enforcement of construction standards.

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The OPARHA convener said the next phase of the Tinubu administration would, expectedly, focus increasingly on converting macroeconomic reforms and infrastructure investments into measurable improvements in household welfare.

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He identified job creation, food security, affordable healthcare, education, power supply, transportation and support for small and medium-sized businesses as areas citizens should expect sustained attention in the second term.

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He said, “Nigeria needs an economy in which increased government revenue and improved investor confidence will ultimately translate into better public services and greater economic opportunities, which will be much easier for the present administration to achieve”.

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He said the country needed stability, policy consistency and sustained investment to unlock the full benefits of its economic and infrastructure reforms, hence the need for continuity in 2027.

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“Let us disagree politically, but let us not disagree with development. Let us demand accountability, but let us also recognise progress where we see it. Let us correct the mistakes, address the hardship and strengthen the reforms. But let us not throw away the opportunity to build on the foundation that has already been laid,” the PDP chieftain concluded.

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