Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, and serving appointees in his administration, were conspicuously absent as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders and loyalists on Wednesday, staged freedom walk for the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Ibadan, the state capital.
The walk which took off at exactly 10am at the Total Garden Roundabout, Ibadan, headed towards Agodi Gate Area through Oje, Beere, and eventually terminated at the historical Mapo Hall where the organisers addressed the mammoth crowd.
The walk was led by prominent leaders that include the Special Coordinator (South) of the PCC, Dr. Jide Adeniji; former Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide; former Minister of Power and Steel, Elder Wole Oyelese and former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Barrister Hazeem Gbolarumi.
Adeniji who represented Atiku, while addressing the mammoth crowd, used the occasion to highlight the agenda of the PDP presidential candidate to include security of lives and properties, unity of the country, education, restructuring and resuscitation of the country’s economy.
He said Ibadan being the headquarters of the South West, is very important to the victory of Atiku in the forthcoming presidential election, described him as the the unifier who would put a stop to nepotism, tribalism and religious discrimination when he wins the presidential election.
He berated the APC-led government for poor economy, assuring that Atiku would open all land borders and ensure devolution of power to the state while ensuring local government autonomy.
Akinjide in her own remarks, said the entire Oyo State is for PDP, urging the residents to vote all PDP candidates across board to ensure flow of dividends of democracy.
She added that when Atiku becomes the president, Oyo State will be number one beneficiary of the former Vice President’s presidency.
She however warned that people should not listen to anyone who wants to denigrate or talk down on the party’s presidential candidate, referring to members of the PDP G-5.
She said, “Tomorrow (Thursday), we shall flag off Governor Seyi Makinde’s second term campaign, but some visitors are coming and if they want to disparage Atiku, we shall say No.”
Also former Deputy Governor of the state, Barrister Gbolarumi, pleaded with the electorate to vote Atiku and avoid fighting anybody, stressing that there was no reason for PDP members to fight one another as according to him only people who was trying to prevent them from supporting PDP deserved to be fought.
“In whatever party you find yourself, your personal interest should be paramount. In this PDP, we shall not labour in vain.” Gbolarumi said.
Oyelese said only Atiku Abubakar has the wherewithal to rule the country out of all presidential candidates, lamenting that there is hunger and suffering in the land and that the country does not deserve an apprentice president who would use the first term to learn the rope.
Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
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