Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged the people of Ekiti State to cast their votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in the July 14 governorship election.
Osinbajo said Ekiti people stand to benefit a lot from the APC both at the federal and state levels if they elect Fayemi as their governor in the eagerly awaited poll.
He described Fayemi as a tested politician and administrator who has acquired enough experience to manage the resources of the state and provide quality leadership.
The nationโs number two man spoke on Tuesday at the governorship flag off rally held at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, to formally herald campaigns ahead of the July 14 poll.
Osinbajo was accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; APC National Chairman, John Odigie Oyegun; National Secretary, Mala Mai Buni and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
The APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urged Ekiti people to elect Fayemi as their governor at the poll. He said Ekiti should not remain the lone ranger in the Southwest but should join the progressives fold.
The APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, officially presented the partyโs governorship flag to Fayemi, who was joined by his running mate, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi at the rally witnessed by a mammoth crowd.
Oyegun also formally received the former Minister of State for Works and former Peopleโs Democratic Party (PDP) national spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye into the APC.
Adeyeye was joined by the Ekiti State House of Assembly member representing Ise/Orun Constituency, Mr. Adeniran Alagbada, former Special Adviser on Transportation, Chief Bosun Osaloni and other former PDP faithful into the APC.
Governors who appeared at the rally include Chairman of the Nigeria Governorsโ Forum, AbdulAzeez Yari (Zamfara), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo).
Serving ministers who stormed Ekiti to show solidarity with Fayemi are Mansur Dan Ali (Defence), Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Mines and Steel Development) and Lai Mohammed (Information and Culture).
Also at the rally are former APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; former Ekiti State Governors, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo and Chief Segun Oni; former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Osinbajo said: โGod has chosen this lucky man (Fayemi) to bring good governance and purposeful leadership to the people of Ekiti State.
โOn July 14, donโt look elsewhere but look forward to voting APC. APC is a party that means well for the people, APC is a party of progressive people.
โWe have come here to give you a delicious soup in Ekiti; JKF (Fayemi) is that lucky man chosen to bring positive change to Ekiti.
โOn July 14, vote JKF and Ekiti will witness progress, development and good governance.
โGod has brought a blessed man, who is Dr Kayode Fayemi. He will do Ekiti a lot of good if elected governor. He will bring development to your doorsteps.
โOn July 14, donโt look back or side way, just look forward to a good future ahead of you by voting for Fayemi. APC is a party of progress.
โLet us vote for APC in this election. APC will help Ekiti to develop, because the PDP has outlived its usefulness.โ
Tinubu said change is needed by Ekiti people noting that the Land of Honour should not be excluded from the broom revolution sweeping across Nigeria.
He described Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as the Red Card to be shown to the PDP at the governorship election.
Tinubu said: โThis is the only place where change is necessary now, this is the broom revolution. Raising the broom is not enough, what is your value of coming here if you donโt have PVCs?
โIf you really want progress, what is the essence of you staying here from morning till now without having PVCs. Ekiti wonโt go back to sadness and poverty.
โThe PVCs represent your red card on the day of election. I want you to give PDP a red card on the day of election.
โWe have been giving PDP yellow cards all this while but on the election day, we are giving them the red card.
โWe took Fayemi to the federal level, he was Minister where Osinbajo is Vice President but Ekiti is now a lone ranger.
โThis is your son, we have taught him, he is a friend of the President. We are going to do the election together
โHe now understands the game. I want you to vote him 100 percent on July 14.โ
Oshiomhole said: โWe thank God that we have swept them away. I was on my way here from Edo in 2014 when Fayemi was seeking reelection when the PDP stopped me at Benin Airport, even as a sitting governor. PDP was known for abuse of power and their days were gone.
โEkiti is the most educated state in Nigeria and I knew you voted for Fayemi in 2014, because Ekiti has highest pupil enrollment in schools then and I know that a state that is highly educated like Ekiti could not have voted for a roadside banana eater.
โOn July 14, it is one man, one vote, one woman, one vote. Your votes will count this time. Nobody will tinker with itโ, he said.
The Chairman of the National Campaign Council and Kebbi State Governor Bagudu, said Nigeria has been in safe hands since 2015 when President Buhari and Osinbajo took over, urging Ekiti to join the moving train in this coming election.
โIf Ogun, Ondo, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Plateau and Kebbi could embrace APC, Ekiti must do same, because we represent progress.โ
Governors Amosun, Aregbesola, Bello, Ajimobi, Ahmed, Akeredolu and Bagudu, who also spoke urged the electorate to vote Fayemi to bring unprecedented progress to the state.
Fayemi said he was humbled by the gesture of solidarity from the partyโs leaders urging Ekiti voters to sweep away a โuseless government.โ
Fayemi while addressing supporters promised that all the programmes initiated by his administration but abrogated by the present government will be restored in the interest of the populace.
He said: โThey (PDP) said they want continuity, is it continuity of lack, continuity of poverty, continuity of 419, continuity of bad governance, continuity of suffering, continuity of non-payment of salaries, continuity of our pupils paying taxes in schools?
โThe Youth in Agriculture, Youth Volunteer Scheme, the Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency, Social Security Scheme of the Aged, both in Commercial Agriculture, Local Council Development Ares, Peace Corps and other landmark programmes will come back.
โGovernor Ayo Fayose said he wanted continuity, I know Ekiti wonโt subscribe to continuity of poverty, wanton neglect, fraud and pauperization of our people in the name of governance.
โBy Godโs grace July 14 is our date with destiny, a day PDP will be totally obliterated, a day that suffering will stop.
โWe will reclaim our land, its day decency, discipline, decorum and good essence of democracy will return to our land.โ
Former Ekiti State Governor Adebayo said the INEC wonโt listen to plea by some groups that the federal government should not deploy soldiers and police for the election.
Adeyeye said PDP is dead in Ekiti as many of its chieftains and members are defecting to APC on daily basis.
He said: โPDP is dead in Ekiti, it will never rise again, it has been uprooted and we will set it on fire. A lot of PDP members have defected to APC.
โThis is the Deputy Leader of the Assembly joining APC; four years ago, that thief is shouting 16-0 but he neglected those who made it possible.
โWe have visited eight local government areas, PDP members are decamping every day and when the President comes here, all of them will show up because there is nothing like PDP again in Ekiti.โ
