Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Jagaban Borgu, foremost presidential hopeful and presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Ekiti election as the litmus test for next year’s presidential election, appealing to the people of the state not to let the party down.
He said the party cannot afford to lose the state, the more reason all the warring parties within the party must bury their hatchets and come together to ensure victory for the party’s candidate in Saturday’s governorship election.
Tinubu was in Ekiti in company of 14 APC governors for the final political rally for Biodun Oyebanji, the governorship candidate of the party in the June 18 poll.
Also at the event were former Osun State Governor and first Interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande and the current National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Besides Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, present at the occasion are Governors Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun ,Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna, Abdurasaq Abdurahman of Kwara and Inua Yahaya of Gombe.
Others are: Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Solomon Lalong of Plateau, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Babagaba Zulum of Borno State and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos.
Tinubu told the mammoth crowd that converged on the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion, the venue of the rally, as early as 10am, that APC had started a revolution in Nigeria since 2015 by sweeping away the PDP.
The National leader of the APC, noted that the revolution pioneered by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and, which was sustained in 2019 should be allowed to reach its zenith by voting for APC in all elections.
According to Tinubu, “President Buhari, a man of honour and dignity had kept his promise by passing the ball to us in the south that we should produce the next President and it is now left for us to vote APC to maintain the unity and progress of our nation.”
Speaking on the significance of Ekiti election to his presidential aspiration, Tinubu said: “To those who are aggrieved in Ekiti, nothing is wrong in having quarrels in a party, but it is not good to burn down the house.
“That is why I want you to vote for ‘Emilokan of Ekiti’, Biodun Oyebanji. This is our first test after my emergence, don’t let us fail, don’t let us disappoint President Buhari. We must put Nigeria on the path of progress and you will never regret voting for APC in this election.”
In his submission, Governors Akeredolu, Sanwo-Olu and Bagudu, described Oyebanji as the best man to continue with the purposeful leadership laid by Governor Kayode Fayemi .
Bagudu, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, added that Tinubu had been picked as the presidential candidate and that the Southwest zone must stand by him, and that the only way to demonstrate this is by winning Ekiti for APC.
“The Progressive Governors’ Forum knows that Ekiti will do us proud on Saturday by overwhelmingly voting for APC, banking on the solid foundation Governor Fayemi has provided.
“Biodun Oyebanji is the only one that can continue the good work Fayemi has begun. He will not disappoint you. The Southwest has a big task ahead of 2023 and holding the zone strongly for Asiwaju to be able to win the 2023 presidential election will be to the benefit of all of us,” Bagudu stated.
Presenting the flag to the candidate, the National Chairman of the Party, Senator Adamu, expressed optimism that Oyebanji will be elected as the next governor to succeed Fayemi, who he said had done wonderfully well in the last four years.
“Since the nomination of my brother and your father, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as our presidential candidate, this is our first outing. We want to see you come out and vote for this humble and service-incined young man.
“I have been to Ekiti on three occasions, but I have never seen this kind of a crowd. I have never seen a crowd like this and this is an indication of the support you have for APC.
“We saw the votes you gave APC in 2018 and you have to replicate and even do more on Saturday,” Adamu pleaded.
An elder statesman and former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, declared that if all Nigerians , including Hausa, Fulani and Igbo, agreed to make a Yoruba man President in 2023,that Ekiti voters shouldn’t disgrace the party on Saturday.
“Please, whoever we have offended should please forgive us in the interest of our party and all of us. APC is a party that we can trust. Yoruba and Ekiti in particular belong to the progressive and that we must display in this election,” Akande said.
