Buhari storms Akure, rallies support for Akeredolu, assures Ondo indigenes of federal appointments; APC to AD: Your rally, a fiasco

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, called for support for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).
Buhari made this call at the Democracy Park, Akure, during the party’s mega campaign rally.
“I am pleased with the September 3 APC primary election that presented Rotimi Akeredolu as our party’s candidate.
“We are here to show our support for Akeredolu and I am proud of APC and Akeredolu and, God willing, he is going to be the winner of the forthcoming election. Talk to your colleagues, friends and family that there is no turning back,” he said.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said that the presence of the entire family of APC was highly significant.
Issac Kekemeke, the state chairman of APC, expressed optimism that APC would take over the state and join the mainstream politics of the centre.
Kekemeke, who described the APC and the president as responsible, said that the APC was united, strong and set to deliver on November 26.
Dr Oluwole Akinyelure, the APC South-West National Vice Chairman, said that the state had yet to benefit from the present administration of PDP in the state, despite oil producing benefits.
Akinyelure asked the people to vote for Akeredolu for a real change.
Governor Simeon Lalong of Plateau State said that the president was taking people from captivity to prosperity, saying that Akeredolu was a known man of integrity.
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, the chairman of APC Governors’ Forum, said that the president’s visit was a sign of change, adding that a vote for the APC would be a liberation of the people from political bondage.
Appreciating his supporters, Akeredolu noted that the state could be in no other party than the APC.
The governorship candidate said that the state must join the mainstream politics to derive its benefits from the government at the centre.
He, however, called on party supporters to mobilise and organise for vigorous campaign for the party in ensuring its victory in the coming election.
“After leaving this ground, go to your units, wards and do the needful,” he said.
Dignitaries at the rally include Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, former Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State; Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, Minister of Solid Minerals Resources, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and others.
Earlier, during his visit to the palace of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, Buhari assured Ondo indigenes of federal appointments.
The president was responding to a call by the monarch to extend appointments to indigenes of the state in federal ministries and parastatals.
“Not giving federal appointment to any indigene from this kingdom is not deliberate. I came here for your votes which I got, so, there is no reason why indigenes of this state should not enjoy equal benefit as indigenes of other states.
“You have raised a serious observation that needs urgent attention. I am here because of our party governorship candidate who is fully enjoying the support of Akure people and its environ.”
The traditional ruler also called on the president to look into the current crisis at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), whose non-teaching staff down tools for some weeks now.
According to the monarch, the seemingly unending crisis had negative effect on the university.
He called on the appropriate ministry and agencies to wade into the matter to save the institution “which is one of the modern landmarks of the ancient city.”
The monarch also tasked the president to concede some of the land belonging to military authority to indigenes for agricultural purposes.
“Another issue that agitates the mind of this ancient city is a large parcel of land ceded to the military authority in 1966.
“A large portion of the land remains underutilised and is wasting away. Our request is to give 1,000 hectares back to the community for agricultural purposes,” he said.
Speaking at a meeting with APC governorship aspirants, APC elders in the state, and national officers of the party, Buhari said the unity of the party was crucial for the outcome of next Saturday’s election.
“I am very pleased that those of you who lost the primaries are still very much in the party. That you lose elections doesn’t mean you should walk away, you keep on trying. I went to the Supreme Court three times in my bid to become the President of Nigeria.
“I like your high spirit and your commitment to the party and I hope your constituencies are taking note of that,’’ the President told the aspirants shortly before departing for the Democracy Park in Akure for the grand finale of the rally.
In his remarks, the representative of the aspirants, Mr Tunji Abayomi, assured the President that they have resolved to deliver Ondo to APC.
“No single aspirant left the party after the primaries. Those who left the party were not party members; they returned to where they belonged,’’ he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of APC Elders Council, Ondo State, Senator Olorunnimbe Farukanmi, said Akeredolu was eminently qualified to lead the state.
“We have fielded an experienced, informed, hardworking and capable legal practitioner to work with President Buhari to carry out massive industrial development, job creation, eradication of poverty and massive economic improvement in the nation,’’ he said.
In the capital city, scores of people were eager see Buhari.
The popular Oba Adesida road was deserted of its usual human and vehicular congestion to give way for the presidential convoy.
The Democracy Park, venue of the campaign rally, was lively with music rending the air from ace Fuji musician, Abass Obesere.
However, there was a heavy presence of men of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Meanwhile, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), on Saturday, criticised the mega rally held by APC, describing it as ‘another fiasco’.
Specifically, the party noted that despite the presence of the President and the motley crowd of supporters from all over the South-West and Edo State, ‘the very soul of the APC is still missing’.
In a statement by the Secretary of the party in the state, Dr Sola Agboola, AD noted that the intractable crisis in the party has made it to fly an ordinary pitch, saying it would lose by wide margins in Saturday’s election to its candidate, Chief Olusola Oke.
His words: “When they held their mega rally in Akure last week, it was obvious that the party was in tatters as virtually all its leaders stayed away from the event.
“Because they were afraid of our own rally which witnessed an unprecedented crowd in the annals of politics in Ondo State, they decided to have a second bite by holding this rally only for their highly-polarised party to be exposed again as party chieftains and public office holders loyal to APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, again shunned the mega rally of the APC candidate, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, in Akure.
“Even the Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Ondo APC Chairman, Mr Isaac Kekemeke, who sources said, made up their minds to attend the event at the last minute, looked more of strangers at the event as the uniformed fabric (aso ebi) for the occasion was missing on them.
“One would have thought that they would have put their house in order before this event, to, at least, save their face. But the reverse is the case; gutter languages and arrant display of ignorance by speakers after speakers at the event even made a lot cower in disbelief.
“For instance, the APC Governor’s Forum Chairman and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, exhibited crass ignorance by telling the gathering that Akeredolu was the most educated among the governorship candidates. This, in his warped reasoning, means that with his first degree, Akeredolu is more educated than even a PhD holder like Dr Olu Agunloye of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)!
“Even, the Kano State Governor Abdulahi Umar Ganduje also exhibited ignorance on the result of the 2012 governorship election. That is the class of people who want to overrun Ondo State.
“It should be noted that aside Ahmed Tinubu, political leaders absent at the grand finale of the APC governorship campaign included Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo; former APC acting National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; and Senator Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo North).
Others included Governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Kola Ajimobi (Oyo); and Akinwumi Ambode (Lagos) and as well Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola.