The
governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano stormed the ancient city
of Abeokuta at the weekend with the stalwarts of the All Progressive
Grand Alliance (APGA) to present the party’s flag to Prof. David Olufemi
Bamgbose who is running for the governorship of Ogun State on the
platform of APGA.
Governor
Obiano who was accompanied by his dear wife, Chief Mrs. Ebelechukwu
Obiano told a large crowd of party faithful that gathered at the Palace
of the Alake of Egbaland for the symbolic presentation of flag to the
gubernatorial candidate that the arrival of APGA in Abeokuta was an
historical event that would usher in a new dawn in Ogun State.
Presenting
the party flag to Prof. Bamgbose, Governor Obiano said “Today is a
great day in Ogun State. It is the day of a political Pentecost. From
here, we urge you to go forth and preach the good news of APGA in Ogun
State.”
Describing
Prof. Bamgbose as a man who was eminently qualified to bring a massive
transformation to Ogun State, Governor Obiano observed that after
mastering the art of purposeful governance in Anambra State in the past
nine years, APGA had finally decided that it was time to export its
model of governance to other parts of the country.
Said
he; “APGA has entrenched a remarkable model of excellence in governance
in Anambra State for over nine years; now we are exporting the APGA
model of governance to other parts of the country because we are a
national party. In Ogun State, Prof. Bamgbose will fly our proud flag.
He will help us to plant the good gov ernance we have in Anambra State
here in Ogun State,” governor Obiano enthused and urged the people of
the state to cast their votes for Prof. Bamgbose.
Also
speaking at the colourful ceremony, the wife of the governor of Anambra
State, Chief Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano urged the Ogun State women to vote
for Prof. Bamgbose as he represents the change they are all looking for.
Chief Mrs Obiano who wowed the crowd in flawless Yoruba reminded the
people that it was in their power to choose the future they wanted and
further emphasized that a vote for Prof. Bamgbose was a vote for a
brighter future.
Also
speaking at the rally, the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh
told the crowd that APGA had stormed the state to give the people the
chance to reposition Ogun State to experience the benefits of good
governance.
Comparing
Ogun State to Anambra State, Chief Umeh observed that “Ogun State is
known to have produced a lot of giants in education, business and
politics. Anambra State has also produced very heavy giants in
education, business and politics. Sometimes, when giants clash, they
deny the people the chance to experience good governance. And that is
what is happening in Ogun State right now – giants are clashing. It also
happened in Anambra State but we used APGA to wipe it out. Today, we
have a governor who is also a seasoned banker, an accountant, a
chartered auditor, a former Executive Director of a bank and now that he
is the governor of Anambra State, the story has changed in less than
one year. That is what we have come to do in Ogun State. We are
presenting to Ogun people, the best man for the job,” he enthused.
During
a courtesy call on the traditional ruler of Abeokuta, the Alake of
Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, Governor Obiano had described his
arrival in Abeokuta as a home coming of sorts. “I am a high Chief in
Yorubaland. I am the Otunba Atayeshi of Ilemesho, in Ekiti State and my
wife is Erelu Atayeshi. We bring good news to the ancient city of
Abeokuta. We are introducing one of your own whom we have found worthy
to fly our flag in the coming election,” the governor had explained
further expressing the optimism that his visit to Abeokuta would open
doors for APGA in Ogun State.
In
his response, Oba Gbadebo had commended Governor Obiano for leading
APGA to Abeokuta. “This is a good omen for the country because the right
to belong to any association as enshrined in our constitution will
never be removed by anybody. You have a right to belong to any
association you choose,” the Alake observed and further applauded APGA
for offering one of his subjects a sanctuary from where he could seek
the electoral support of the people of Ogun State. Oba Gbadebo also
prayed that APGA would grow from strength to strength as it would lend
more depth to Nigeria’s democracy.
Responding
to all the speeches, the APGA gubernatorial candidate in Ogun State,
Professor Bamgbose predicted that with his entry into the fray, a new
dawn was coming upon Ogun State. Said he; “I promise that if by the
grace of God I become the governor of Ogun State, I will lead Ogun with
the fear of God. I founded the Yelwa College of Education, the first
private college of education in Ogun State that has produced over 10,000
teachers. We charge the lowest fees. We shall transfer that model of
excellence to governance,” he assured, urging the people to vote for him
in the coming election.