PDP screens Ombugadu, Anosike and Ogunsola; Nasarawa, Abia and Oyo Governorship aspirants

The Wike-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday, screened the three governorship aspirants who submitted their credentials in Abuja

The aspirants include David Ombugadu, Nasarawa state, Kelechi Anosike,  Abia State, and Kayode Ogunshola, the Oyo state governorship aspirant, respectively

Ombugadu had contested for the Nasarawa state governorship in 2019 and 2023, but narrowly lost to the current Governor, Abdullahi Sule

Ombugadu, however, claimed he won the election and urged Nigerians to protect their votes in 2027.

“As I speak here,  if you go through the iREV, you will see that we won the election. The facts are still there. The details are still there. For those who are into investigative journalism, you should go and check.

He, however, urged all the members of the press and civil society to ensure that the votes are protected, adding that ” protection of the vote is not solely the responsibility of the candidates, but also the people.

“Together, I believe we will put all the necessary measures to ensure that our votes are protected when the media are seriously doing their work. To ensure that we transmit the results from the voting, collation,  and at every process, so that we have a very transparent outcome.

The PDP chieftain said he started his engagement with the people in 2011.

” I was a member of the House of Representatives for a good eight years. And they have tested me, they have trusted me.

“I have maintained, I have been consistent with my roadmap. The blueprint that I have is people-driven. And I don’t just develop a blueprint, but I interact with my constituents. I use the blueprint. It’s not just about my ideas, but we have a unique assessment appraisal of what the people want. So you can see there is a demand-driven blueprint.

He described Nasarawa as an agricultural state, adding that “more than 70% to 80% of the population are farmers. So our blueprint was an engagement with the rural communities, with all the villages, the development, and then we garnish it with our wealth of experience. And then we started implementing it. And that is why today, when you go to Nasarawa State, you will see that water supply is one of the major challenges in Nasarawa State.

“We have drilled more than 1,500 boreholes. I think in the history of this country, no one single person has done that. When it comes to health, we have provided more than 20,000 lives for free health insurance while in House of Representatives. So these are some of the things that we have seen, from the health, the water supply, to rural farmers’ empowerment, and to some of the skilled acquisition centers”

“We want to make sure that the rural communities are captured in terms of development, not the facial work that you see on the street. So what we will do differently is to execute a rural-based economic advancement where development will go from bottom-up approach.”

On the other hand, Kelechi Anosike, the Abia governorship aspirant, said he studied law at Abia State University before proceeding to the Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral and Policy, University of Jundise, Scotland, United Kingdom, for a master’s in law, LLM, in petroleum law and policy.

” I got my PhD, Doctor of Philosophy, in Property Law and Mortgages, from the University of Abuja.” He served as President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers in 2013-2014

Anosike, who is a versatile international commercial solicitor, with emphasis on energy, electricity, oil and gas, said he handled transactions, well over 100 million U.S. dollars in his legal practice.

“In the area of law where I practice, my firm is one of the best in Africa. We are exposed to a lot of mortgages, and we are exposed to a lot of transactions.

” I am also an author. I have done biographies. I did a biography of former President  Obasanjo, titled, The Human Obasanjo, the Man, the Message, the Movement.

He is currently the MD, CEO of Smart Homes. a real estate firm.

He promised to provide a health insurance scheme for the senior citizens, adding that ” the current government has no scheme, no program whatsoever for youths.

” We have youth at work. We want to create opportunities for youth. Abia youths graduate and and they leave the state to Abuja and Lagos.So, we’re going to industrialize Abia. There’s so many resources in Abia that are not yet tapped. The government is not paying attention to them because it may not yield profits in the immediate.”

The Oyo State Governorship Aspirant, Kayode Ogunshola, said he served in the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan for about 10 years.” So, I come with a lot of public sector understanding, private and international transnational experience.”

“I now run my own business internationally. I’ve been keen. I was chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora in the U.K. two times, from 2008 to around 2012.

Ogunsola said he plans to invest in the state to create jobs and harness the abundant resources in Oyo State

” So, my point is that building circular roads is good, yes. But when people don’t have cars and their income levels are low, it almost doesn’t make a point. So, we must look at how we build the middle tier — SMEs. That’s key. And that’s what I’m going to bring to the state. That’s on the economic side.

“On the job side, we need to ensure that our youths are trained. Because we hear it all the time — development skills are poor. People are building houses and estates, but they don’t employ Nigerians. That’s sad. They bring people from Benin and Togo. So, what makes a man from Benin better than my people in Oyo State? The skills are not there. So, we need to ensure that we build faculties and centres of excellence in masonry, carpentry, and woodwork. Let’s go back to the basics.”

He also promised to focus on rural development and agriculture because many of our people in the villages have the capacity to produce, but they don’t have the support.

“We need to build rural roads, irrigation systems, storage facilities and agro-processing centres so that farmers can increase production and make more money from their work. Agriculture should not just be about survival. It should become a commercial system that creates wealth, jobs and opportunities for our people.

Others are education and healthcare, which are critical.

“We need to renovate our public schools, equip our technical institutions and ensure that our young people acquire practical and digital skills that can help them compete globally. On healthcare, we must strengthen our primary healthcare centres and ensure that quality medical services are accessible and affordable for ordinary people. We also need policies that will encourage qualified professionals to remain and work in Oyo State.”