Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, gubernatorial candidate in Kwara State in the 2007 election, Gbenga Olawepo, was Tuesday adopted by the party to re-contest the governorship seat in the April poll.

Speaking after the congress of the party held at Atiba Iya Alamu area of Ilorin, the state capital where he was adopted, Olawepo said his administration would do everything possible to ensure that no fewer than 350,000 jobs are created in the state within the first term of his regime if elected as the governor of the state.

The congress was supervised by the Director Administration of the party, Dr. Abubakar Muhammed Sokoto, with INEC officials in attendance.

He said such would go a long way in taking the state away from poverty level and boost the standard of living of the people.

“Today, the 11th day of month number one of 2011,” he said, “I bow to the wisdom of our people who have without ceasing advocated that I contest again for the governorship of Kwara State in spite of my initial reluctance. This will lead us to take Kwara out of poverty and free our people from political bondage.

“We shall in four years create a new economy, create about 300,000 new and sustainable industry-based jobs and about 50,000 indirect jobs in order to accelerate the socio-economic growth of Kwara State.”

He said this would also address youth unemployment and put an end to the reported cases of social vices currently going on among youths across the country.

The DPP chieftain said his administration would also focus on the establishment of rice mill, ethanol plant, palm oil processing, groundnut processing mill through joint partnership in order to further boost the industrial growth of the state.

He said his administration would ensure increase in worker’s pay as this would improve their productivity level and thereby allowing them to contribute to the socio economic development of the state.

He said the DPP in the state had been repositioned in order to win and take the state to a new level.

Olawepo said the party is well grounded, disciplined, united and strong, stating that this would be used to win the April general election to move the state forward.

Talking about his opponents at the poll, he said: “The political structures of our major opponents have disintegrated and the DPP is expanding and also we are the party the people of Kwara voted for in the last election and they are more ready to vote for us again. We are the party known with a clear programme to take Kwara out of poverty and into prosperity”.

He assured his supporters that a DPP government would not disappoint them in the task of moving the state forward.

Olawepo was a founding chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and in fact the first deputy national publicity secretary of the party before he quit the party in 2003.