Ondo state governor who earned a fresh mandate at the weekend off-season election, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, received Certificate of Return on Wednesday at the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) office in Abuja.
The INEC National Commissioner of Ondo State, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, presented the certificates to Governor Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr Olayide Adelami.
Speaking at the APC national secretariat shortly after he left INEC office, the Ondo State Governor boasted that he would be succeeded by another chieftain of his party.
He said: “In as much as I will continue to express my gratitude to the good people of Ondo state, for the overwhelming support and the huge votes, that was cast for myself and my party, the APC, I cannot but come here to appreciate APC the platform that gave me that opportunity and my deputy.
“We will first of all present the Certificate to the President. He is our leader, the leader of this party. That’s why I can’t present the Certificate to you first.
“Mr chairman, I have stopped over to thank you. So, it isn’t that I want to be disrespectful, I am just telling you that is the right thing to do. I have to present it first to Mr. President. We recognize the leadership that you have provided for this party at the national level and the state. “Since you took over, we haven’t lost any election. You sent a message out that day when I was declared the winner of the election. That Oyo and Osun states should watch out, we are coming. You said that boldly, with confidence because of whatever you have been able to do in Edo and Ondo states. We went into Edo state, election that was a bit tough but at the end of the day with your knowledge and mobilization, strategy and position of our party, and the leadership we have at the center and the organization of our party, we were able to sail through and we won.
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“Coming to Ondo State became simpler because of our structures in Ondo state. The people knew abinitio what they want and we will continue to govern them for the next four years. They voted for integrity, they voted for organization, they voted for continuity, they voted for good leadership and governance and that was what happened on that day when we achieved a feat that has never been attained by any governorship candidate ever in Ondo state. We won in every local government, not only that we won in the main opposition party candidate, Agboola Ajayi. It was an election where Ondo state people spoke clearly and loudly with their votes. It was APC, not my name that was on the ballot, it was our party and our logo that they voted for. It was not just because I was the one running, I want to believe that there were many factors at play that made the people to vote in that manner. That the leadership at the centre and the federal government under the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the renewed hope agenda as we can see. The organization of our party.
“We served within the last 10 months and people have seen the way to go. We made promises and with the massive votes the people gave to us, they have placed a burden on us to do more than what did in the last 10 months. After we end our service, the APC would take over from us again to ensure the name of our party will be intact.”
National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje in his remarks thanked the party chieftains and stakeholders in Ondo state for the support they gave him while he was pleading with aggrieved aspirants to bury the hatchets and support Aiyedatiwa as the party standard bearer.
The state Chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin in his speech said last weekend victory in Ondo state has nailed the political coffin of the PDP in the state.
He said: “Our victory broke the record. In the history of the present democratic dispensation, no governor has ever won 18-0.
“That shows that our party is well loved in Ondo state. The job given to us was well delivered and the people of the state love our party, love our national leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
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