Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the duo of Gov. Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti and his predecessor Kayode Fayemi have called for support for the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
They made the call on Tuesday during APC leaders and stakeholders’ annual Christmas get-together hosted by Fayemi at his Isan-Ekiti country home.
Fayemi, a Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs to the APC Presidential candidate, said the state and indeed the country have a lot to gain if the APC retained the presidency with Tinubu at the helm.
He expressed optimism that the state would witness more development if the party could win all the State and National Assembly seats.
Fayemi said this could only be made possible by massive mobilisation of support for the party’s candidates.
The former governor, who described Asiwaju as a highly resourceful political leader and strategist, said the former Lagos state governor possessed the experience, exposure and capacity to lead the country successfully.
He said a massive vote for Tinubu and APC state and National Assembly candidates was needed to sustain the tempo of development in the country.
“I, therefore, canvass for massive votes for all the APC candidates for the state and national assembly seats, and as well ensure that the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerges as the next President of the country,” Fayemi said.
He thanked Ekiti people for choosing a competent person in Oyebanji as their governor, saying that the people had started seeing the benefits of electing someone with competence and character into office.
“I want to thank you again for electing BAO as your governor. He has the capacity, compassion, he is calm and he is a man of integrity.
“He also has what I don’t particularly have. He connects easily; If you recall an interview I gave about two years ago.
“I said I want a governor who will do everything that I can do but also has that bits of connecting with our people a lot better than I managed to do.
“So there is no reason why Ekiti people should be in any doubt that he is going to do much better than what I have done in office,’’ Fayemi said.
According to him, the presidency is number one and we have a candidate whom we believe will do well for the country, if he gets elected.
“Am sure you all want Asiwaju as our next President. So, we have to do everything under the leadership of our governor to win that particular election.
“Then we need continuity in our House of Assembly. The governor cannot work alone and our determination is to ensure that 26 of the 26 members that will work with Gov. Oyebanji are from our own party,” he said.
Contributing, Oyebanji explained that the APC paraded the best candidates in all the elective positions, saying that Tinubu’s election as the next president of the country was non-negotiable.
He assured the people of more dividends of democracy with Asiwaju Tinubu as the next President with APC having the majority of members of the National Assembly and APC retaining all the 26 seats in the Ekiti Assembly.
“We are prepared as a party and we have the best candidates and we are just waiting for the coronation come February.
“We are optimistic that Nigerians will vote for us massively. We shall also mobilise massively for our candidates,” he said.
Some leaders that spoke at the annual get-together thanked Fayemi for sustaining the hosting of the annual gathering, which was attended by political leaders from all the 177 wards in the state
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