The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and candidate for the Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, Hon. Olumide Jones has criticised the quality of representation in the constituency, insisting that the people deserve better leadership and accountability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Hon. Jones made this known during a live radio programme, titled “The Polity,” aired on Fresh FM Abeokuta and monitored by our correspondent on Saturday.
While speaking on his ambition and vision for the constituency, the PDP reps candidate said his mission is to introduce a new style of politics that prioritises development, transparency, and grassroots engagement.
According to him, there is an urgent need for residents of Ifo/Ewekoro to begin demanding accountability from elected representatives instead of depending on individuals without assessing their performance over the years.
He said, “There is a lot of changes that he’s trying to bring in even though the PDP is not in power yet, and this is to let the people see the difference in the way of doing things”.
Commenting on the zoning controversy within the ruling party over which part of the constituency should produce the next representative, Jones stated that the contest may eventually become a direct political battle within Ifo.
His words, “I am from Ifo side to be precised and the ruling party too, and so its going to be a case of two people from Ifo fighting for the heart and soul of the Ifo people”.
Reacting to arguments surrounding the representation arrangement between Ifo and Ewekoro, the PDP candidate maintained that the constituency can not continue with the same pattern of leadership without tangible progress.
According to him, “the person there at the moment has been there for 12 years, he is from Ewekoro and the reality is, we can’t continue doing the same thing and expecting different results.”
Hon. Jones also lamented the poor condition of roads and infrastructural decay within the constituency, stressing that citizens must begin to question how public resources are being utilised.
“It’s unfortunate that the populace themselves, the way they think, people think because someone is there already, let him continue, but nobody is asking questions, what has he done, what can we point to?”
Jones added, “I drove from Ifo to Ibogun yesterday, a journey supposed to take 10 minutes, I spent 58 minutes because I timed it, and I am thinking what is happening to this road, because the last time, the road was touched was when Baba Osoba was there and yet we have representative, nobody is asking questions, and the whole idea is we want people to ask questions.”
He continued, “We are not just saying we can change the world in one day, but people need to ask questions. People need to ask where our money is going to? People need to have access to information, that is what we are trying to do, give that information for people, so that they can ask questions. ”
Speaking on his political strategy and chances ahead of the elections, Hon. Jones expressed confidence in his acceptance among party members and residents of the constituency.
“What we have done at the moment, I think 50% of the works has been done by the party picking me that Olumide represent Ifo/Ewekoro, has part of the work done, the other 50% is going out and talking to our people and say, look this is what we bring to the table, this is the alternative we are offering you,” he stated.
The PDP candidate also highlighted some of his community-based interventions, including medical outreach programmes, educational support initiatives, and grassroots empowerment projects.
“So it is easy for us to come out and say look, I think the last time I came out, I had a medical programme where we had 500 people came for eye surgery with the eye foundation.”
“So it is easy to sell what you are selling, that is what I am trying to say, and on the empowerment programme, we do is grassroots based, we going into communities, we do Back To School programmes, give exercise books, give school bags with pens and other writing materials, so people can identify with the name, and those at the the grassroots can know who Olumide Jones is”.
On the internal crisis rocking the PDP at the national level, Jones admitted that the party may not field a presidential candidate in the next election but insisted that the development would not affect his ambition or the party’s grassroots structures in Ogun State.
“We will not be having a presidential candidate, and that is the reality, for those fighting is at the top and not at the bottom level,” he said.
He added, “All what is happening at the national level, should happen at the national level, we are more interested in our home, people, our state, so we have not vied for anything at the national level, so we are where we are in the state, and we want to be there for the next coming elections”.
Hon. Jones, however, decried what he described as widespread deceit in politics, noting that he is determined to maintain honesty and credibility in his political dealings with the people if elected into office.
