Former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State and Benue State, Fatai Owoseni, at the weekend picked up the expression of interest and nomination forms of the Accord Party to contest the governorship of Oyo State in 2027.
Owoseni, who resigned from his appointments in the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde as Special Adviser on Security and Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Security Trust Fund (OYSSTF) last week, obtained the forms at the Accord Party secretariat in Yemetu, Ibadan.
According to a statement by his media team, Owoseni, in an address to party executives and members at the party’s secretariat, said his vision was to return the state to its glorious days, when the Western Region was regarded as the most developed region in the country.
Owoseni said: “This state can be self-sustaining; I am telling you that. Life can be better for our people. That is why I keep talking about the greatest good for the greatest number of people. During the era of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Western Region outperformed every other region.
“Who says we cannot still uplift the lives of our civil servants? Who says private schools cannot become a matter of choice if we upgrade our public schools? Some states are already upgrading their public schools.
“Governor Makinde has tried, and we must sustain that continuity. It is only through continuity that you can truly grow the state and help it regain the pride it once held, not only in the Western Region but across Nigeria.”
He also stated that his decision to contest the highest office in the state was driven by the need to add value to the developmental strides already recorded by previous administrations. He added that Nigerians in the diaspora must also embrace the idea of returning home to contribute to the development of their fatherland.
He said: “To me, I keep saying that my decision to join politics is driven by the need for value addition and continuous service to humanity. The 35 years of my life that I spent in the police were dedicated to service to humanity.
“And in retirement, which is now almost seven years, I have remained here, committed to the state and where I come from — my state of birth — to bring back all those things we achieved in so many other places. And that is what has kept us here up till this time.
“We have so many opportunities, not only here but elsewhere, but because we believe we should make an impact on our people here, that is why we have remained and why we want to continue. Everybody says, ‘You don’t even look like a politician. Can you do politics?’ It is not that politics is dirty.
“Some people in politics are dirty, and they make it seem as if politics itself is dirty. But you should influence wherever you are; the environment should not influence you. So, everything boils down to this: Who are you? What are you aiming at?” he said.
