Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was on top of the list of dignitaries, including governors that stormed Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Tuesday for a mega rally by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to canvass votes for its candidate in the July 14 governorship election, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Professor Osinbajo, while addressing the rally, charged the people of the state to return Ekiti to the food of progressives, saying “PDP has done enough damage, let’s go out and vote for APC.”
At the rally the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun formally received a former Minister of State for Works, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, who was also the immediate past national publicity secretary of the PDP, in the party following his recent defection.
Professor Osinbajo urged the people of Ekiti State to vote for Dr Fayemi in the July 14 election as he said he was the best man for the job, saying Ekiti people must join the league of progressive states in the South West region and Nigeria.
Osinbajo, who spoke in the Yoruba language said: “Vote for APC so that we can make progress together, vote the progressive party and let us join the progressive train by voting for Dr Fayemi on July 14th.”
In their goodwill messages, national leader of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, Chief Oyegun, as well as Chief Bisi Akande, told the Ekiti electorate to vote for the APC on July 14, saying a vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) meant the continuation of poverty.
Osinbajo and Oyegun jointly received Adeyeye and a serving lawmaker in Ekiti State House of Assembly, Ebenezer Adeniran Alagbada and a former Special Adviser in Ekiti State, Mr Bosun Osaloni.
The Vice President and the national leaders of the APC had led no fewer than 12 governors to present the flag to Dr Fayemi.
Other leaders at the event included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and former Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, among others.
Also at the event were former governorship contestants, Senator Femi Ojudu, and former members of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Faparusi and Bimbo Daramola.
Tinubu said Ekiti State must come back to the progressives fold to be part of growth movement in the states led by APC governors.
He said the party chose Fayemi because of his exposure and experience in governance, adding that the era of trial and error was over in Ekiti State to allow a competent hand to shape her destiny for good.
He urged voters to vote for APC in the July 14, 2018 election, stressing that the election presented the best opportunity for people to retrace their steps to have a government that would ensure their future for development.
Other leaders, including the National Chairman of APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, former Governors Adeniyi Adebayo and Segun Oni of Ekiti State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Azeez Yari of Zamfara State, Rafiu Aregbesola (Osun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Solomon Lalong (Plateau) and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, among others, spoke in the same vein, saying that Ekiti State must return to the party that takes the growth and development of the people as a cardinal principle of governance.
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Adeyeye said Ekiti people should reject PDP at the poll, saying that the party did not present any hope for the development of the state.
He assured that in few weeks, more PDP leaders, particularly the House of Assembly members, would defect to APC and boasted that Fayemi would win in all the local government areas of the state.
Fayemi, after receiving the party’s flag from Osinbajo and Oyegun, said the July 14 election would return Ekiti State to the path of progress and massive development.
He said it was time to put an end to poverty and misery, which the Fayose administration had brought on the state.
Fayemi said every developmental programme of the immediate past APC-led administration, which made life more meaningful for the people of the state, but which Fayose had stopped, would return to give hope of survival to the people.
He said the incoming government under his leadership would restore free and qualitative education from primary to secondary schools as well as free health programme.
“We shall also restore the Youth in Commercial Agriculture Development (YCAD), the Youth Volunteer Scheme, pay students’ public examination fees, scholarships, health scheme for the vulnerable and community empowerment programmes, among other life-lifting programmes.
“We shall also restore the social security scheme for the elderly citizens, and our local Council Development Areas would come back.
“Together we shall use our PVCs to end the tyrannical government of the PDP in Ekiti State.
“Ekiti State people say no to the continuity of poverty, lack and fraud. We say no to the continuity of incompetence, no to the continuity of no salary and total disregard for human dignity,” Fayemi said.
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