2023: Youths shutdown Ibadan with ‘walk for Tinubu’ {Photos}

Ahead of the September 28, set aside for the commencement of the campaign for Presidential and National Assembly elections, a group of youth on Thursday put Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on a major standstill as they staged a walk in solidarity for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

The youths, adorned in various customized T-shirts, face-cap and other attires with inscription and APC logo, embarked upon a solidarity walk tagged “Youths in Ibadan Walk for Asiwaju/Shettima” to sensitise the electorates as well as to garner support for their candidates which took them from the Oke-Ado party secretariat to Dugbe axis and back to the state’s party office.

The epoch-making event had in attendance the party’s governorship candidate, Sen. Teslim Folarin, Hon. Isaac Omodewu, APC Chairman, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, APC candidate for Ibarapa East/Ido federal constituency, late governors Lam Adesina and Adebayo Alao-Akalas’ sons, Hon. Adedapo Lam-Adesina and Hon. Olamiju Alao-Akala.

Others include Hon. Saheed Fijabi, Hon. Akin Alabi, the party’s spokesman, Alhaji Olawale Sadare, Hon. Mojeed Olaoya, the Oyo south senatorial chairman among others.

Addressing journalists, the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Oyo state, Senator Teslim Folarin noted that of all the presidential candidates jostling to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, only Tinubu can deliver good governance for Nigerians.

Folarin added that other contenders for the former Lagos state governor do not have the ability and track records necessary to drive the much-needed positive changes Nigerians desire.

According to him, “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 the Labour Party (LP) 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 the campaign proper?

“Considering Tinubu’s track records and his transformational programmes in Lagos, it is obvious that none of the other presidential candidates has Tinubu’s capacity to deliver.

“Either we support him or not, Asiwaju already has 60% votes in Oyo state, but with our collective 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 the 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 declared.

Also in his remarks, the National Vice Chairman, APC South West, Mr Isaac Kekemeke 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.

“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 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”, the APC chieftain warned.

In a related development, one of the conveners of the programme, Hon. Adedapo Lam-Adesina described the event as a wonderful one which has shown that Tinubu is an acceptable product that does not need to convince people before he was accepted.

The son of late governor Lam -Adesina who is the party’s candidate for Federal House of Representatives in Ibadan South East/North East Constituency, also 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.

He said, “With this mammoth crowd, you could imagine if it is Oyo APC youth and we just planned this in less than a week.”