A former Minister of Communications, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, has expressed his interest to vie for Oyo State governorship seat in the 2027 election.
Barr Shittu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) insisted that none of those aspiring to succeed Governor Seyi Makinde matches his experience, resources, and vision.
The former minister who served in the first term of late former President Muhammadu Buhari stated this on Monday in an exclusive interview on ‘Frontline’, a current affairs programme on a radio station – Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
The Saki-born legal luminary and politician boasted himself as the most qualified candidate to occupy the Oyo State governorship seat, referencing his over four decades of political career.
Shittu began his political career in 1979 when he was elected into the old Oyo House of Assembly at 26 years before he was appointed same year as Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Home Affairs.
He later served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State and had since engrossed with his legal practice before his appointment as the Minister of Communications between 2015 and 2019 by Buhari.
“As of today, I am the only one who has a manifesto of what exactly I want to do when I get to government. I am ready for government. Even if I get to government today, I already know and have a clear idea, I want to transform Oyo State like it had never happened before,” he declared.
Speaking on the need for fairness among other zones that have not produced governor in the state, Shittu maintained that his Oke-Ogun has been marginalised in the power structure and called for its fair share of leadership.
“Let me tell you, the truth of it is, Ibadan, over the last forty or thirty years, has produced six different governors, Ogbomosho has produced a governor, but Oke-Ogun, with ten local governments, has never had the opportunity to produce a governor.
“The thing must rotate; it cannot be Ibadan alone all the time. We are in a democracy, not in a dictatorship; ‘enough is enough for Ibadan’.”
Reminded of his age at 72, Shittu dismissed this, saying, “Age is just a number. If you want to compare me, do that in terms of intelligence and dynamism. I’m as strong as, if not stronger than, anyone my age.”
