By Oluwagbemiga Toye
The People’s Redemption Party (PRP) has officially commenced its governorship campaign in Ekiti State with a promise to prioritise industrialisation, job creation and economic revitalisation if voted into power.
The party’s governorship candidate, Olaniyi Ayodele, unveiled the development blueprint during the campaign flag-off on Wednesday held at the party’s secretariat in Ajilosun, Ado‑Ekiti where members and supporters across the sixteen local government converged.
Addressing the gathering, Ayodele said his administration would focus on transforming Ekiti’s economy through industrial and agricultural development.
According to him, the state must move beyond reliance on raw agricultural produce by embracing agro-industrialisation that will create value chains and stimulate economic growth.
“Our plan for Ekiti State is to ensure that we industrialise the state. We want to stop Ekiti from being a state that only depends on agricultural produce and move it to agricultural industrial development,” he said.
Ayodele disclosed that there are plans to establish cottage industries in all the 16 local government areas of the state.
“We have made up our minds that we are going to set up cottage industries in all the 16 local governments in Ekiti State, this will help stimulate economic activities at the grassroots level, saying the initiative would generate significant employment opportunities.
“We are going to generate 1,000 jobs per local government every year,” he said.
Speaking on power supply, Ayodele said his administration would leverage constitutional provisions that allow states to generate electricity in order to provide stable power across the state.
“We are going to ensure that in our four years in government, Ekiti State will have 24-hour uninterrupted electricity supply,”
He further pledged to prioritise youth employment and women empowerment while establishing innovation and technology hubs to drive economic growth. On education, Ayodele said the focus of his administration would be on practical learning that equips graduates with skills for economic productivity.
The PRP flag bearer also emphasised the need to transform Ado‑Ekiti into a modern and economically vibrant capital city.
“We don’t want a state that goes to sleep by 7 o’clock. We want a state that is economically vibrant 24 hours of the day. Ado-Ekiti must become a befitting state capital with the infrastructure to match,” he added.
Earlier, the party’s National Secretary, Babatunde Alli, said the PRP operates on a well-defined ideological framework.
According to him, the party runs on 33 programmes and five core principles which guide its manifesto and policy direction.
“The first principle is the value and equality of human beings. By so doing, the rule of law is paramount to us,” he said.
Alli added that the party also believes strongly in the power of the people and the sanctity of the electoral process, describing it as a cornerstone of democratic governance.
He further stated that the PRP advocates genuine federalism and equitable distribution of national resources, while opposing policies that expose the country to excessive foreign economic influence.
“One of our principles is that we must not allow imperialism to influence us to the point where we borrow loans that destroy our people,” he said.
Party leaders present at the event included the party’s National Chairman, Kola Abiola, who was represented by Samuel Omotosho; the Ekiti State Chairman, Ademola Adedayo; the State Vice Chairman, Rotimi Jegede; and the State Secretary, Komolafe.
Others were the State Public Relations Officer, Teniola Akande, the State Treasurer and deputy governorship aspirant, Modupe Adebiyi, alongside other party stakeholders.
The event marked the formal commencement of the PRP’s statewide campaign activities ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State.
