By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Immediate past Deputy Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Adesegun Abdel-Majid Adekoya has hinted of his intention to return to the House of Representatives.
Adekoya, who represented Ijebu North, Ijebu East and Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency of Ogun State, said his return to the House of Representatives will be determined by conducive environment.
Speaking to journalists at his Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State residence, the former lawmaker disclosed that “if the environment is conducive, I would like to go back to the green chamber so that I can complete the projects that I embarked upon, which have now been abandoned in my constituency.”
According to the lawmaker, some of the projects include: uncompleted hospital at Ako; Ago-Iwoye Stadium; Orimolusi Palace; Buruji Kashamu Skill Acquisition Center; Imushin Ajina Shopping Complex and a host of others.
“If it is only to go back and complete those projects, I am willing to contest again.”
On the situation in his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, Adekoya expressed his delight that the crisis at the state level has been relatively settled unlike in the past when there was division.
“Ogun State PDP is now relatively peaceful, especially with the exit of aggrieved members to another party. In the past, huge amount of money was spent on court cases; for example I spent N160 million on litigation alone, whereas, the major opposition party then, All Progressives Congress, APC, spent less than N1 million.
“You can imagine if such amount of money was spread to all the wards in my federal constituency to mobilise people. Nothing would have stopped me from winning the election”, Adekoya revealed.
The pioneer chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area in Lagos State said his political relevance and ascendancy was never an aberration because he rose through the ranks in politics. “I was an elected councillor in Shomolu Local Government, Lagos State; I was appointed supervisor and later vice chairman in the same local government before I was elected local government chairman.”
“While in Ogun State, I was commissioner for eight years before I was elected a member of the House of Representatives”.
Reacting to his possible defection to the ruling party (APC), Adekoya, who was recently honoured with the prestigious chieftaincy title of Bobasuwa of Ijebu Igbo by His Royal Highness, Oba Lawrence Adebajo, the Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo, in recognition of his contribution to grassroots development, declared, “it has never crossed my mind to move to the APC because it has not impressed the masses.
“There is hunger in the land; no good roads, while schools do not have enough teachers. The paucity of teachers is so bad that influential individuals have to visit higher institutions like Olabisi Onabanjo University and Tai Solarin University’s Faculties of Education to lobby their students on teaching practice to come and teach in our schools”.
On the 2027 election, Adekoya, while disclosing that the presidential election would be based more on candidates than parties, revealed that President Bola Tinubu should spread his appointment to all parts of Yorubaland.
“Out of every ten appointments, eight go to Lagos, the president should know that Lagos is not the only Yoruba State”, the lawmaker said.
Adekoya during his tenure initiated projects such as Imushin Shopping Complex, Imobi Town Hall, Ilodo Town Hall, Ogbe Bridge at Ijebu Ife, block of classrooms in towns within the constituency, as well as donated laptops to some schools, road projects, Ago- Iwoye Stadium and provision of solar lights and poles to some towns.
