The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdulahi Umar Ganduje, on Sunday, expressed confidence that the party would win the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.
This is just as other critical stakeholders of APC in the South-West converged on the state capital, Akure, to reconcile all the sides in the “family feud” in the state chapter of the party arising from the APC governorship primary.
The meeting, which was also attended by most of the aggrieved aspirants in the primary, was organized to equally strategise ahead of the election that is about 27 days away.
The leaders included Dr Ganduje, the national vice chairman (South) of the APC, Chief Isaac Kekemeke, governors of Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos states: Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Abiodun Oyebamiji and Babajide Sanwolu respectively, as well as the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, among others.
Addressing the party members, Ganduje called on the aggrieved members to unite and work as a team to guarantee APC victory at the poll.
He explained that the APC had begun to speak with one voice as the aggrieved aspirants have expressed their readiness to team up with others to ensure that the party triumph at the poll.
He said the leaders’ convergence had put an end to the process of reconciling APC in the state, urging the APC family to always speak with one voice.
“Our target is to win the election, our mission is to give assurance that the party is solidly behind you. All stakeholders have put hands together to ensure successful election.
“We are so encouraged by the unity, solidarity, vigour especially when we invited all those aspirants who contested. We are to encourage, energies and support you and to ensure that this election is a task that must be done,” the national chairman said.
Speaking specifically to the aspirants, he said: “We cannot say you lost the election but it’s a win-win situation for all of us and those aspirants who have already said they are behind the party’s candidate.
“Apart from those who contested the party, the problem we have had been solved with assurance from all the aggrieved quarters. We are expecting 90 percent in the election, make sure you know those who are supposed to vote in your units and ensure they are mobilised to come out for the election.
“We assure you that Tinubu is the best we have and we must deliver a 100 percent in favour of APC in this election and in the South-West region. We assure you we are strategising to take over the two other states in this region.”
In his opening remarks, Governor Sanwolu, South-West coordinator, appealed to every member to go to the poll in unity, just as he urged the aggrieved aspirants to work for the victory of the APC .
“The South-West APC leaders’ meeting was successful. What we have to do is to let you know that the entire APC leadership is solidly behind you and you could have gone through turbulent time or have differences in opinions and ideas and after all these, it is important for us to come together as a family again. That’s the essence of being here today.
“We have come here as a happy family. As APC family, we have come here to strengthen the party and none of you will be left behind; nobody will be taken for granted as all of you are important, strategic and critical in the delivery of our election on November 16.
“We have acknowledged yesterday’s Ondo State, we are acknowledging today’s Ondo State, and the future is bright for Ondo State.
“This in-house meeting is to embrace all of us; it is to beg all of us and for all for us to agree to put whatever we have behind us. What is ahead of us is greater than what is behind us and that’s forward ever, backward never.
“The future is bright for Ondo State. We must agree. We can’t get any leadership support other than this. For me, it is to congratulate all of us. I am happy for the turnout. If we come together, we will win.
“We are going out for an election, we need everyone in this election, that is why I brought everyone together, to come and appeal to you. More than 85 percent of the votes we must get,”
Similarly, the Ekiti Governor, Oyebamiji urged the members to ensure the APC retain the state and said, “the November 16, is a deciding moment in the history of our state, the victory is achievable, we have a duty to ensure the achievement of Akeredolu is not reversed.
” We have a duty to keep Ondo State in the progressive circle. Coming second is not an option. We must retain APC in power.”, Oyebamiji charged.
Speaking, the Senate Leader, Bamidele urged the party to integrate all the aggrieved members in order to foster unity ahead the forthcoming election.
Speaking, one of the aggrieved aspirants, Chief Olusola Oke said all the 16 aspirants have agreed to work for Governor Aiyedatiwa to ensure that the opposition party does not take over the state.
Oke said: “All the 16 aspirants have resolved to settle and agree to work with the candidate of our party. We believe that we should not allow the state to slip into opposition.”
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