By Teniola Blessing.
The Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Chief ( Mrs) Christianah Monisade Afuye, has assured the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council that the party’s flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure over 75% of total votes cast in the State in the 2023 election.
Mrs Afuye described Tinubu as part of Ekiti, being an in-law, political leader and mentor to many great politicians of Ekiti’s extraction, who deserved to be compensated with votes in 2023.
The Deputy Governor spoke, while donating cash and consumables to Ogoga-in-Council and across 11 wards in Ikere Local Goverment to mark the Christmas and New year festivities.
She also empowered 110 Ikere indigenes with cash gift to lift them out of poverty and donated a sum of N1.5 million to party members and leaders across the wards.
The Deputy Governor, in a statement by her Special Assistant (Media), Victor Ogunje, appreciated Ikere voters for the support they exhibited for Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the last governorship election, saying the votes garnered in the town boosted the party’s chances in the keenly contested poll.
She alluded to Tinubu as one of the best brains and most experienced leaders with fervour to sail the country to prosperity, after President Muhammadu Buhari’s exit.
“I know that Senator Bola Tinubu will visit our Kabiyesi anytime he is here in Ekiti State to campign . I know Ekiti and Ikere in particular will declare block votes for him. We are not expecting less than 75% of votes for our great leader in Ekiti.
“We all know that Asiwaju is one leader that has the capacity to build and nurture. He did it in Lagos,let us allow him to do it for Nigeria
“Get your Permanent Voter Cards in readiness to vote Asiwaju in the coming presidential election, because he is our own in Ekiti”.
The Deputy Governor, who also visited all the 11 wards in Ikere Ekiti to donate cash and consumables, canvassed support for the APC’s National and Houses of Assemblies’ candidates in Ikere constituencies 1 and 2 and across the Southern Senatorial District in the impeding polls.
She said the APC having majority in the National and State Houses of Assembly will smoothen governance and fasttrack progress under the incoming government of Asiwaju Tinubu and Biodun Oyebanji’s administration in Ekiti.
“You know we have a structure in Nigeria and Ekiti. The APC is the ruling party. The Assembly may be giving the President and Governor problems if not dominated by the ruling party.
“I beg you, kindly pardon whatever some of our candidates must have done wrong in the past and vote for them . They shall surely make necessary amends.
“This is not a campaign, but a mere interaction and introduction of our candidates, whom I know are better than the candidates of our opponents in terms of characters, antecedents and commitment to nation building”.
Saluting Ogoga of Ikere, Oba Adejimi Adu-Alagbado for attracting development to the town, Mrs Afuye, said; “Under your few years reign, Ikere had produced eight Senior Advocates of Nigeria and two women Professors.
“It was under your reign that I became the Deputy Governor as a woman and we had a university. We are increasing in leaps and bounds. We are happy about these and it is on the basis that I came to appreciate you.
“I will continue to support Ikere Ekiti. I am part of you. Governor Oyebanji and I will not let you down”.
Oba Adu-Alagbado, appealed to Ikere people to forget the past and think of the future for the town to be greater, warning against pull-him-down syndrome the way it was witnessed in the past.