…pledges united front for 2027 polls
* Shun violence, deliver APC in Idanre, says Aiyedatiwa
…says APC is One in Ondo State
By Tolulope Eniola
The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has formally commenced its campaign for National Assembly candidates in the Ondo Central Senatorial District, using its flag-off in Idanre Local Government Area to rally members for victory and end post-primary divisions.
The party leadership also charged members across Idanre’s 10 wards to close ranks and shun violence ahead of the forthcoming elections.
Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, who flagged off the rally, urged Idanre politicians to embrace peace, stressing that the community must not allow political differences to degenerate into violence.
Aiyedatiwa, who described Idanre as a community with many seasoned political players, particularly recalled the crisis that characterised the party congress on February 16 and 17.
He said those involved in the crisis were indigenes of Idanre, rather than people from Ilaje, Akure, Ondo, Owo or Akoko.
The governor therefore urged the people to close ranks and vote for all APC candidates, beginning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Recalling the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s 2012 campaign, Aiyedatiwa said political violence had then disrupted access to Idanre.
He said the party later reached out to community leaders, whose intervention allowed the campaign to continue.
According to him, following Akeredolu’s victory in 2016, his administration decided to construct an alternative route into Idanre to ensure that the town did not depend on a single access road.
Aiyedatiwa said the decision had contributed to the development of the area, noting that one side of Ijoka Road had been completed while work continued on the remaining section.
He added that the Oke-Aro to Idanre Road was also being developed in phases, with Phase One coming and Phase Two already underway.
The governor promised to return to commission the main road when completed, explaining that the administration could not execute all projects simultaneously.
He urged the people to support the APC candidates holding the party’s flag to enable them secure victory in the forthcoming election, noting that APC is one in the state.
Aiyedatiwa said the Idanre campaign was the first outing for the candidates, adding that the campaign would proceed to Ifedore, Akure North, Akure South, Ondo East and Ondo West.
He also called on APC members across the Central Senatorial District and elsewhere to support all the party’s candidates.
The APC State Chairman, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, said the party was determined to maintain a united front and secure victory for its candidates across Ondo State.
Babatunde said the party ticket imposed a responsibility on both the governor and the APC to support its candidates, describing the event as the formal commencement of activities for the senatorial contest.
He reaffirmed the party’s opposition to anti-party activities, declaring: “From our President down to our senators, House of Representatives members, and House of Assembly candidates, it is APC all the way!”
Babatunde expressed confidence that the party would deliver all its candidates in the state, attributing the expected victory to God’s power.
The immediate past APC chairman in the state, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, also urged members to close ranks and deliver all 10 wards in Idanre.
He described Idanre as a historically strong political community, saying it had not lost a governorship or senatorial election since the beginning of the current political dispensation.
Adetimehin, however, recalled the party’s setbacks in previous House of Representatives elections, saying Festus Akingbaso won nine of the 10 wards, with Onisere/Ofosu, his ward, being the only ward delivered by him.
He said a similar situation occurred during the House of Assembly election, when his ward was the only one won by the party.
According to him, all the opposition members are now with the APC, a development he said was a testament that the party’s candidates would emerge victorious in the forthcoming election.
Adetimehin charged members across Ala, Alade, Atosin, Odode, Ofosu and other wards to work together to deliver all 10 wards to the APC.
He said the party would seek to win all the wards for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Niyi Adegbonmire and other APC candidates.
He also urged members to shun violence, stressing that voting should not become an occasion for fighting.
“Whoever seeks the good of Idanre land, Idanre land will seek their good. Whoever works good for Idanre land will receive good in return. That is my principle. That is my belief,” he said.
Earlier, former Commissioner in Ondo State under the administration of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko and former Chairman of the Ondo State Local Government Service Commission, Taye Akinyele, said the gathering was organised after the primaries to reunite party members and demonstrate that the APC remained strong in Idanre.
He urged members to support Tinubu, Adegbonmire, Festus Akingbaso, popularly known as Fessy West, and Kayode Valentine, also known as Keva.
Taiwo declared: “There is nothing like SDP-APC in Idanre Local Government. There is no SDP-APC, it is APC all through.”
Also speaking, former Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr Kola Ademujimi, urged APC members to disregard claims that the party was finished, saying it would win the forthcoming elections.
He appealed to members to vote for Tinubu and all other APC candidates, arguing that those who would work with the President were needed to ensure smooth governance.
Ademujimi said: “We want Tinubu to win, and those who will work with him so our governance goes smoothly must also win alongside him in Jesus’ name.”
Those present included the Senator representing Ondo Central, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire; Member representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency, Hon. Festus Akingbaso; former Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu; State Coordinator, Renewed Hope Ambassador, Rt. Hon. Victor Olabimtan; Member representing Idanre Constituency in the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon. Oluwatosin Ogunlowo-Ajirotutu; former Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Lola Fagbemi; political appointees, among others.
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