With few days to September 28, 2022 set aside for the commencement of campaign for Presidential and National Assembly elections, The gubernatorial candidate under the platform of All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Oyo state, Senator Teslim Folarin has said that of all the presidential candidates jostling to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, only Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has the capacity to deliver good governance for Nigerians.
Senator Folarin stated this while addressing a mammoth crowd of APC youth supporters that converged at Oke Ado, party’s state secretariat in Ibadan during a rally organized in honour of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The Oyo APC gubernatorial candidate said other contenders of Asiwaju Tinubu do not have the ability and track records necessary to produce the needed change Nigerians desire.
He said: We have not come here to campaign today but just to test the Mic. We are hearing that three candidates are contesting; Tinubu, Atiku and Peter Obi. Peter Obi of Labour Party is only a presidential candidate for social media users, Atiku plunged us into where we are today. I’m happy with what I’m seeing here today, we’re only testing the mic, what would happen when we start campaign proper?
Considering Tinubu’s track records and his transformational programmes in Lagos, it is obvious that none of other presidential candidates have Tinubu’s capacity to deliver.
Either we support him or not, Asiwaju already has 60% votes in Oyo state, but with our support he will score 80 to 85% votes. We also need to do the same thing for our National Assembly candidates because Asiwaju will need the support of members of National Assembly who are from his political camp. Asiwaju’s election is the bulldozer that will clear the road for us in other elections.” Folarin asserted.
In his remarks, the National Vice Chairman, APC South West, Mr Isaac Kekemeke also described the event as just a preamble of what APC is planning to do when the campaign starts, warning any party member that engages in anti party activities to stop doing so as such will not be tolerated in the party.
According to him, “there is only one APC in Oyo State and only one gubernatorial candidate which is Senator Teslim Folarin. There is only one party Chairman which is Isaac Omodewu. It is not possible to be in APC and belong to another party. I said this earlier and they abused me. Our party is one and this is what I want you the youth to go out and tell those that are outside. We won’t allow indiscipline in our party. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity that we have missed in 1963 and 1993 again in 2023. Go to anyone you know that is our member and still engaging in anti party activities, appeal to them but if they remain adamant, we will change strategy. We cannot allow that.” He warned.
Also speaking, one of the conveners of the programme, Hon. Adedapo Lam-Adesina described the event as a wonderful one which has shown that the APC presidential flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is an acceptable product that does not need to convince people before he was accepted.
Hon. Adesina who is the party’s candidate for Federal House of Representatives in Ibadan South East/North East Constituency, however, clarified that the event was just for the youths within the 11 local government areas in Ibadan metropolis and not the entire Oyo APC youth. “With this mammoth crowd, you could imagine if it is Oyo APC youth and we just planned this in less than a week.” He retorted.
The youths who adorned in various customized T-shirts, face-cap and other attires with the inscription and APC logo, thereafter embarked upon a solidarity walk tagged “Youths in Ibadan Walk for Asiwaju/Shetima” with the aim of sensitizing the voters and garner support for their candidates which took them from Oke-Ado office to Dugbe axis and back to the party office.
