Tinubu, ACN Govs In Benin To Seek Support For Oshiomhole

A mammoth crowd besieged Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, yesterday to witness the national leadership of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) declare support for Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s re-election bid. The party leadership was led by its chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and former Lagos governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

Tinubu said they were in the state to seek support for Oshiomhole’s return to office. “Four years ago, we came here to ask for your votes for Oshiomhole, and he has performed. We are here again to ask that you vote for continuity, peace and progress. A vote for Oshiomhole is a vote for peace, development and progress of the state.”

Oshiomhole told the cheering crowd that he needed a second term to sustain the developmental projects he has started. “Today, our public schools are far more beautiful than private schools; and you know that when you invest in a child, you have secured his future. We have showed that we can build roads and we are building good roads; we are building good schools and we are providing water.

“Things are happening everywhere: the rural people are getting light. Godfathers are in trouble; and they are angry because they are hungry? They can no longer feast recklessly on our common resources like they did for 10 years. We seek renewal of our mandate because Edo is work in progress. We want to continue with the aggressive urban renewal of Benin City; we want to restore the lost glory of the city.”

The governor said the presence of soldiers in the state was to ensure free and fair exercise as promised by President Jonathan.

Oshiomhole’s counterparts in Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti, who joined the party leaders at the rally, expressed satisfaction with the former labour leader’s performance in the past four years.

Babatunde Fashola of Lagos said the July 14 governorship poll gives opportunity to the people to renew the previous four-year social contract, which he said, has paid off.

“By July 14, we will come back to celebrate the renewal of the social contract we signed four years ago,” Fashola said.

Rauf Aregbesola and Kayode Fayemi charged the people to defend their votes by ensuring that ballot papers are properly counted, recorded and collated results transmitted to appropriate centres.”

Former governor of Edo state, Chief John Oyegun, said the forthcoming election would only serve as an opportunity for the people to affirm their collective wish. “We are prepared for any eventuality,” he promised the visiting party chieftains.