A support group within the Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of The United Progressives (TUP), Monday, appealed to aggrieved party faithful to imbibe the spirit of love, unity and peace ahead of the forthcoming governorship election billed for March 11.
Speaking at a press conference in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, the convener of the group, Mr Afeez Bolaji Repete called on the aggrieved members to “bury their hatchets and come back home to, collectively, rescue Oyo-State from the sharp grip of reactionary elements, currently, manning its affairs”.
Repete also warned the ruling PDP in the state and its supporters to desist from making false claims about facilitating the victory of the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, “Those behind the wicked rumour are some unscrupulous elements whose motive is to mislead the public and attract undue sympathy from certain quarters outside the state come 11 March 2023.
“To set the record straight, Oyo PDP did its best to secure victory for all its candidates at the last Saturday election but they failed simply because Oyo APC was far ahead of them in terms of preparedness, human resources, strategy and public acceptability.”, he explained.
Congratulating the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Sen. Kashim Shettima on their victory at the just concluded presidential election, the group further urged the people of the state to vote massively for the APC governorship candidate, Sen. Teslim Folarin.
“Heartily, we congratulate our legendary leader and president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu(BAT) over his hard-fought victory in the recently concluded presidential election of our great nation. We also congratulate the vice-president-elect and all newly elected members of the National Assembly. Our hope is renewed, and the new dawn has come in Nigeria. On the forthcoming March 11 gubernatorial election in the state, we canvass for support for Senator Teslim Folarin of APC. He remains the most experienced, the most competent, and the most qualified candidate among his co-contestants.
“As we all know, threats and violence cause voter apathy. It affects the legitimacy of elections and electoral participation, worldwide. So, we hereby put Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies on notice that ‘on no account should dissidents, and agents of darkness be allowed to disrupt the gubernatorial polls of March 11, 2023.
“All citizens of Oyo State must be allowed to freely exercise their franchise without hindrance or any form of intimidation.
“Conclusively, we thank the good people of Oyo-State for the confidence reposed in the progressive party, as expressed on February 25, and we encourage the electorates to double their efforts on March 11 by trooping out en-mass and electing Sen. Folarin as the next governor of the state, and also by voting for all APC State Assembly candidates,” it added.
