A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe has lauded the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on his efforts over the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The Minister who arrived the state last week has been going around campaigning for Mr. Sanwo-Olu.
Since he arrived in Lagos, it was learnt, Aregbesola has met different groups seeking to understand the grievances and demanding what could be done to ensure the party’s victory.
A member of the party who attended one of the meetings held at the Minister’s Lagos residence said many of the groups opened up on issues they have with the party and many of the leaders in the state.
It was leant that many of them left promising to work for the party but urged Aregbesola to ensure that the leadership of the party in the state take actions on some of the issues listed.
Aregbesola urged different political groups in the state not to waste the efforts of the past years by throwing the state into opposition.
He said when democracy returned, Lagos battled spiritedly to survive under very hard conditions because it was in the opposition party.
The minister, who held meetings with different political leaders in the state at his GRA Ikeja residence through the weekend, said Lagos would be on cruise to greater development with the President Elect, Bola Tinubu.
His meetings with the leaders of various ethnic groups, factions of the All Progressive Congress were said to be part of the efforts of the leaders to ensure victory for the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
His words: “Asiwaju is the leader of the party and head of Lagos but now he has changed. He’s no longer the National Leader but the President-elect,” Aregbesola told the party leaders.
He added that “If we want to have the benefits of all the labours of over thirty years that some of you have been with this tendency since the formation of SDP in 1998 to AD, AC, ACN and now APC, If we want all these efforts not to go into waste, I beg us let us vote APC So that we can marry the benefit of Asiwaju presidency with the joy of having our party in power in Lagos. That’s the message.
“All those efforts since 1988 to now when they are no longer listen to you will just be wasted if you bring in a new person that will be opposition to Asiwaju.
“If you want to overcome the frustration of yesterday and go home that you are now in full power the best thing is to disregard mess you experience and let us do the best we can to make sure APC wins.”
He said a win for Sanwo-Olu in this Saturday’s governorship election is a move to further attract massive developmental support of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency to Lagos and Nigeria, in general.
The Minister urged them to forget all grievances and work in unison for the success of the APC at the polls.
“We worked tirelessly for the success of what we have today in Lagos. We cannot allow those fanning the embers of discord within the party to derail us. Let us forget whatever may be the issue and work for the success of the APC on Saturday.
“Winning Lagos is not just about shutting the doors to those who do not have the capacity to rule us, but to ensure we crown all that Asiwaju has achieved so far, especially now that he is President-elect, to the benefit of our party, and the generality of Lagosians.
“Let us go back to our various units, wards and communities to work for the APC.”
Yesterday, Aregbesola took Sanwo-Olu’s second term bid to the Hausa community in Abatoire, Ojokoro LCDA where he spoke on the importance of voting for the APC in the March 18th Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
Commending Aregbesola’s efforts since his return to Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, the Special Adviser on Drainage & Water Resources to Governor Babajide Sanwo- Olu, said he’s glad that the former governor of Osun State is back in the state to do what he knows how to do best.
He wrote: “I am glad that His Excellency Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is now in Lagos to do what he knows how to do.”