Road to 2023: Ogun PDP guber candidate, Adebutu flags off campaign, urges people to reject APC

From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, on Friday, flagged off his campaign in Abeokuta, the state capital.

Adebutu who also unveiled his seven-point agenda manifesto listed security, local government autonomy, rural development, healthcare, education, agricultural development and youths development as his top priorities, if voted into power in 2023.

Addressing his supporters and members of his party, the governorship candidate accused Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration of plunging the state into what he described as incurable debt, saying that it has increased the domestic debt of the state by 55.4 percent between 2021 and 2022

He equally flayed the incumbent administration for incurring N86.21 billion debt within a year.

According to him, the domestic debt profile of the state rose from N155.57billion in 2021 to N241.78billion by June 2022.

“The domestic debt profile as recorded by this administration again rose from N155.57bn in 2021 to N241.78bn by June 2022 representing a disheartening 55.4% increase in debt.

“This government has continuously succeeded in enlisting Ogun state in the list of highest indebted states in the country.

“Under their administration, the state dropped to the 19th position on the 2021 Fiscal Performance Ranking from the 3rd position in 2020, contrary to their fake noise and hype that there was improvement in the Internally Generated Revenue of the state, the sharp slide from the 3rd position to the 19th position within 10 months of review was as a result of the decline in the IGR of the state by about 28.44 percent. In correct perspective, the IGR dropped with about N20.17bn within a period of 11 months”. Adebutu said

He, however, called on the people of the state to reject the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates at the poll, saying the PDP was committed to delivering the state from the “shackles” of the APC.