By Virtuous Ikeoluwa.
The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Mrs Monisade Afuye, has said that the popularity of her principal, Governor Biodun Oyebanji would enhance the All Progressives Congress in the March 11 House of Assembly election.
Mrs Afuye was upbeat that the ruling APC is well positioned to clear all the 26 assembly seats in Ekiti, with Oyebanji’s electrifying popularity and superlative performance.
The Deputy Governor, said this in Aramoko, Ijero, and Efon- Alaaye, headquarters of Ekiti West, Ijero and Efon Local Government Areas respectively, while interacting with the party members in preparedness for the impending assembly poll.
Mrs Afuye, in a statement by her Media Aide, Victor Ogunje, applauded the party members for delivering bulk votes for the party’s presidential candidate and southwest political leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other National Assembly candidates in the February 25 poll.
She urged the party members to canvass aggressively and replicate such interesting feat in the assembly poll, describing the coming election as pivotal to the success of Oyebanji-led government.
Responding to some of the issues raised against some candidates fielded by the party, the Deputy governor, urged the party leaders to discountenance any narrow and primordial sentiment and vote for APC candidates, insisting that the party is supreme and towers above any other interest.
She said; “Our target is to win all the 26 assembly seats fairly and squarely. It is going to be a free and fair contest and APC will win because we are the majority and our Governor is acceptable to the populace due to his good works.
“Don’t have any agenda besides the party agenda. The only agenda you have is APC. You can see that Mr Governor is performing well and our people are enjoying him. We shouldn’t allow opposition to populate the assembly and stall the ongoing popularity we are enjoying.
“Governor Oyebaji promised that the party will be restructured to be able to give the best to the party members and to be able to win elections without snags.
“When we said this, what we meant was that, the party members will take full ownership of the party. There won’t be any imposition at all. All candidates will be democratically selected.
“The party members need to do a lot more to warm the APC into the hearts of Ekiti populace. We have to be committed and truthful to the party. The Governor is a core party man. He is ready to return the party to its rightful owners, which are the people at the grassroots.
“Our intention is to work hard and win all the 26 seats on Saturday. Please, don’t work against the party. Refrain from anti-party activities,because it will be difficult for Governor Oyebanji to work with opposition lawmakers with the kind of politics that is in practice in Nigeria.
“That is why we should embrace all our candidates. Your towns might be interested in a particular position, but once your party picks its candidate from another community, you are duty bound to work for your party, anything contrary is anti-party that may affect the fortunes of APC”.
In his submission, the Chairman of Ijero LG, Hon Adeola Adeyemo, said the concept of Local government independence was being promoted under Oyebanji’s government, saying this reflected in the outcome of the recent presidential and National Assembly elections.
Adeyemo urged the people of the Council and that of the Local Council Development Areas like Irede, Irewolede and Eso- Obe to troop out and elect the APC House of Assembly candidate in the council in the Saturday’s poll.
Also, the Chairman of Efon Local Government, Hon. Adetunji Olabode, assured the party leadership that the APC assembly candidate in the council will emerge victorious in the forthcoming poll to smoothen governance at the state level.
