National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Iyiola Omisore, and National Vice Chairman, South West, Isaacs Kekemeke, have expressed confidence that the South West Zone of Nigeria will deliver massive votes for it’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general poll.
The duo spoke at a media briefing, Monday, at the end of a strategic zonal meeting of the APC South West leaders, held at the party Secretariat, Acme road, Ogba, Lagos.
Also at the meeting were: Isaac Omodewu, Chairman APC Oyo Styate, Mrs Olubunmi Oriniowo, APC National Ex-Officio, South West, and Mr. Ayo Afolabi, South West Zonal Publicity Secretary, among others.
Omisore, speaking to the media said, “Election is very near. Luckily for us the presidential candidate for the party (APC) is for the South West.
“We are expected to be proactive. We are working ahead of time to be proactive and to sensitise our people on the need to vote our candidate. Luckily for us for the first time in recent years, we have candidate coming from Lagos State. We have landmass which we can point at. We are just looking as a party to strategise and plan ahead of our elections.”
The APC scribe, who noted that the party would showcase the achievements and capacity of Tinubu in the last over 20 years, said the party would do its best to sell its candidate and correct some of the wrong and erroneous narratives outside.
Omisore said that Tinubu had done a lot to move Lagos State forward in all front and deserve to be elected.
“We have to vote Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, vote APC in all elections. He is the only choice we have and that is the best we can have at this point in time. There is not alternative to it. How do you compare them? from where to where,”
He urged the people of the South West and Nigeria to avoid all deceptions, “These are deceits and we must move away from deception. This is not just to deliver but to deliver very impressively. Of cause that gives us responsibility to work very hard, so we have a long strategy session that the national executive officers and state chairmen of the party of its own.”
Kekemeke said, “We have revolved to deliver to the party to the South west a new campaign and mobilization strategy.
“Our zone is the second largest voters in our country, registered voters I will intend to mobilize everyone of the 18.3 million voters to vote our party. That is the revolution of the zonal executive committee.”
“Once again we wang to thank you, we are asking you to partner with us, the partnership for Nigeria, for progress, for reformation for development, for creating a new Nigeria, like a new Lagos was created, it is a partnership for the future, it is also a partnership for person.
“I want to urge you to continue to support us, in this deed to reposition our country and to improve the lives of ordinary Nigerian.”
Responding on why South West should vote for Tinubu, Kekemeke said, “The South West must vote for Tinubu because he is the best option of this in the race, he is the most experienced, no one as his kind of experience, he is very competent and qualified, he is the one with many number ones, is it the TSA, is it the foundations that he as laid for Lagos to move from it slum city, to the fifth largest economy in Africa, among others.
“But if you must ask me, he is a man from the south west, he is our leader from the south west, he is our own, why should we not vote for our own, why shouldn’t we, I think we should apart from the experience, apart from the fact that is the best, he is also one of our own, and why should we not all vote for one of our own.”
Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged residents of the state to continuously ensure that Lagos remains politically stable for continuous peace, which the state currently enjoys as the most peaceful state in Nigeria.
Sanwo-Olu made the appeal during his meeting with leaders of the Lagos State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by its President, Chief Solomon Ogbonna, and Ohanaeze Political Forum led by its Chairman, Chief Chris Ekwilo, at the Lagos House, Marina.
He said the 2023 general elections for Lagos residents, especially the Igbo people should be about who has their best interest of the nation at heart, a person, who over the years has created opportunities without consideration for tribal interests and who has given a genuine platform for people to thrive, live and work well.
“There is no part of this State that one form of development is not happening. We will continue to push development in every nook and cranny of the state. This is the most peaceful state in the country. We spent so much on security to keep all of us saved on a daily basis. So, if people now come and want to divide us, we shouldn’t let that happen.
“We all have a responsibility to continue to ensure that Lagos continues to remain politically stable for all of us so that we can continue to enjoy the peace that we are all experiencing. All the things we are doing are natural for us to do because God has created us to make life better for our fellow human beings.
“Don’t let us begin to divide what has held us. Let us be careful and let our people know that what is holding us together is bigger than wanting to divide us. For me, it is not just about coming back; it is just because we want the development to continue in Lagos. We will do our best.
“We will convince and carry everybody along and make sure we give everybody a space. Don’t change something that is good and working,” he urged.
Sanwo-Olu, also commended the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos State, saying Ogbonna is passionate about his kinsmen and the welfare of the Ndigbo in the State.
Speaking at the event, Ogbonna commended Sanwo-Olu for his support for the Ndigbo in Lagos State and assured the governor that Igbo will support his second term because he has fulfilled all the campaign promises he made in 2019 to the Igbo in Lagos State.
He said: “I want to commend Governor Sanwo-Olu for his support for Igbo people in Lagos State. He has fulfilled all the campaign promises he made in 2019 to Igbo in Lagos. So, we must support him and APC. If we have a governor of APC in Lagos and the same party at the federal level, it will be in the interest of the Igbo people.
“Our PVCs will give us the voting strength in APC. We will support Sanwo-Olu’s second term in Lagos because Sanwo-Olu is extraordinary. In 2023 elections, we will support Sanwo-Olu for second term and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for president.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ohanaeze Political Forum, Chris Ekwilo, who described Governor Sanwo-Olu as ‘best among equals’ said Igbo people will work for the victory of Asiwaju Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu in next year’s elections, noting that anything outside APC is wasted votes.
“We are doing everything possible to convince our people in Lagos that anything outside APC is a waste of votes.
“And because of the critical elections, we are facing, we have collapsed all the political groups of Ndigbo in Lagos APC into Ohanaeze Political Forum. We are going to join forces with the Ohanaeze chairman to reach out to our people in Lagos. Sanwo-Olu’s second term is a done deal,” he said.
