Renowned humanitarian activist and social entrepreneur, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, has officially withdrawn from the 2024 Edo Gubernatorial Race as the Accord Party’s candidate.
Iyere announced his decision, citing the need to serve Nigeria on a broader scale and address the country’s pressing social and economic issues, particularly the ongoing food and hunger crisis.
Iyere, who had presented a multi-billion-dollar food intervention programme titled Food4All Initiative to President Bola Tinubu, said the initiative aims to ensure food security and create mass employment through the “One-Family-One-Farmer Scheme.” He emphasized that his expertise is better suited for national-level interventions rather than being confined to the governorship role.
“My focus is no longer on the governorship seat but on a higher and bigger portfolio than a governor. I want to serve Nigerians at large and not just Edo indigenes. I want to help rebuild Nigeria’s lost economic greatness,” Iyere stated.
Iyere also revealed that internal conflicts within the Accord Party, including an alleged conspiracy by his running mate, Bright Enabulele, to overturn his candidacy, further solidified his decision to step down. He noted that the political dynamics within the party were another reason for his shift to national service.
“Serving as a governor will actually place limitations on me. When I saw the plots displayed by Enabulele and some leaders of the Accord Party at the state level, I knew it was time for me to embrace a higher calling,” Iyere added.
With just a day remaining before the Edo Gubernatorial election, Iyere urged voters in the state to cast their votes peacefully and conscientiously. He stressed the importance of equitable power rotation among the three Senatorial Districts and warned against any form of electoral violence.
Looking forward, Iyere said his focus would be on national development, particularly in assisting the federal government in creating a roadmap for economic inclusion and youth engagement. “I am assisting the federal government to devise a road map for the economic inclusion, engagement, self-emancipation, and deradicalisation of youths through social intervention programmes.”
The Food4All Initiative and other social programmes are set to launch in October 2024, with the goal of creating over six million youth and women entrepreneurs. Iyere highlighted that these interventions would target multiple sectors, including agriculture, technology, and entertainment, to address unemployment and poverty in Nigeria.
“These programmes will fully kick-start in the month of October 2024, and Nigeria will be placed yet again on the pathway of rapid economic recovery,” Iyere said, concluding with a message of hope for the future of Nigerian youth and women.
