To mobilise a united front ahead of the November governorship election, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, on Monday, held an interactive session with stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC leaders in attendance at the meeting were drawn from across the 18 local government areas of the state.
Aiyedatiwa tasked all party members to embrace peace and to come together ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
The governor used the opportunity to thank the party leaders for their support, stressing the need for all contending forces within the party to sheathe their swords to move the party and the state forward.
“It is important for me to tell you that as leaders of our party, we must put behind us the events of the last few months and come together as one big family for the progress of the APC and the development of our dear state.
“There is the need to make our party stronger and that necessitated the idea of this enlarged stakeholders meeting to bring everybody on board.
“Our party leaders and members are critical stakeholders that we cannot afford to neglect.
“There have been complaints from many of our party officers at local levels of not being carried along in the scheme of things.
“That must now be a thing of the past. All our party officers from ward to local government to state levels will be given the recognition they deserve,” he said
Aiyedatiwa said that he would liaise with the leadership of the party to ensure the smooth running of the party structure.
He said that regular stakeholders’ engagement, the establishment of the leaders’ caucus and the Governor’s Advisory Council were necessary to build a virile and formidable party
The governor assured members of the party that political and board appointments would be done very soon.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for showing keen interest in the peace and development of Ondo State.
According to him, the president was happy with the current tranquillity being enjoyed in the state.
Earlier, APC Chairman in the state, Mr Ade Adetimehin, appealed members in the state to embrace unity of purpose in order to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party.
Adetimehin, who commended the governor for the timely engagement of party stakeholders, said that the party leaders must put the past behind to foster unity ahead of the coming governorship election.
