-Laud Asiwaju Tinubu
Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikorodu area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, have insisted that there is no crisis in the Ikorodu Constituency 1 chapter of the ruling party.
They also pledged to abide by the directive of the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the leadership of the party in the State to reconcile aggrieved members of the party who are reportedly protesting the outcomes of the wards and local government congresses held last month.
In a release signed by prominent leaders of the group in the constituency, the chieftains expressed their appreciation over the re-election of about 250 first termers party officials across Ikorodu Constituency 1, who,according to them, would have been denied re-election but for the intervention of Asiwaju Tinubu courtesy of Hon. Sanai Agunbiade who facilitated the move and also stood firmly against plots by some people to disenfranchise these party faithfuls.
Hon. Agunbiade, who is the Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the lawmaker representing Ikorodu Constituency I , lauded the large heart of Asiwaju Tinubu and commended him for his progresive stance at all times while also calling on members of the party in the constituency and Ikorodu division as a whole to let go of the differences they had before the congress and come together to build a virile party as directed by Asiwaju Tinubu and other party leaders. He added that working against the party will do no good for any member of the party.
He appealed to aggrieved party members to accept the outcomes of the congresses as the wish of God and the voice of the party. According to him, there are bound to be expressions of disatisfaction by some party members in any electoral process, as it was in the case in the last local government elections, but aggrieved members should be moderate in thier reactions and must realise the need to work hard and make the APC stronger in unity.
The party chieftains noted that another prominent chieftain of the party, a princess of Ikorodu Kingdom, Chief Adenrele Ogunsanya, has already hosted banners at the party Secretariat in Ikorodu, to congratulate the newly elected LGA and Ward Executives in Ikorodu Central Local Government.
Immediate past chairman of the APC in Ikorodu Central L. G. A, Alhaji R. I Jinadu, called on whoever is aggrieved to embrace peace and shun protests and other violent activities. He appealed to them to use peaceful means to pursue their political aspirations and interests at all times.
He urged all party members and chieftains to toe the part of honour which majority party members and leaders have endorsed and move on with better plans for the party, which include working hard for the re-election of President Muhammad Buhari and Governor Akiwumi Ambode.
Another party leader and immediate State Secretary of the party, , Primate Charles Odugbesi ( a.k.a Blessed Charley) expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the new state chairman of the APC, Hon. Babatunde Balogun, saying his intervention to unite the aggrieved members through dialogue, is yielding fruits.
The party chieftains reassured the leadership of the APC and Asiwaju Tinubu that safe for a few people dissatisfied with the outcome of the congresses, majority of partt members in the division and Ikorodu North in particular, are happy and ready to move on with the party as the 2019 general election draws nearer.
The first Chairman of Ikorodu North LCDA Hon. Kunle Ogunbela and Hon. Mathew Adesanya, former chairmanship aspirant in Ikorodu North LCDA, pledged the unalloyed support of their groups and the great people of Ikorodu North to the party at all time.
