By Oluwatope Lawanson
Ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections, 65 deregistered political parties under the Forum of Political Parties in Lagos State (FPP), have endorsed the APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu.
Chief Kolawole Ajayi, the Lagos State Chairman of the Forum and two-time Chairman of the Lagos State Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Lagos.
Ajayi, who promised that the group would deliver over 400,000 votes for Tinubu, said that members of the forum had unanimously endorsed Tinubu for president of Nigeria.
He said that the choice and decision of the forum to pitch their tent and support Tinubu’s ambition was hinged on the candidate’s inspiring pedigree in both private and public life.
According to him, Tinubu has maintained the highest rectitude in leadership, with much interest in effective building and utilisation of human and material resources to attain unprecedented development, which he exemplified as a governor in Lagos State.
He said, “One of the leading roles of political parties is to checkmate political governance.
“And over the years, FPP have been doing that; ensuring that Lagos State and Nigerians get the best in leadership by blazing the trail in electing the right and people-centric political leadership across board.
“As major stakeholders in the democratic governance in our dear country Nigeria, the 2023 elections presents one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nigerians to truly get it right.
“That informed our decisions for over six months to periodically evaluate the presidential candidates of all political parties in the race for the forthcoming presidential elections.
“We have studied their manifestos. We have taken accounts of their public and private lives.
“After series of stakeholders and Board of Trustees meeting, we became unwaveringly convinced that only one person among all of the presidential candidates has the basic requisites and intimidating pedigree to consolidate Nigeria’s fledging democracy and deepen development.
“He can unite the country and redefine democracy as government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“That one man is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
According to him, 65 members of the FPP are deregistered political parties, but still have all their full political structures on ground across all the 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos State.
“We are here today to endorse him for the top job, and to ensure that all the party leadership, members and supporters of the 65 Deregistered political parties here present at today’s event work to ensure victory for Asiwaju Tinubu at the presidential polls,” he added.
Ajayi recounted how Tinubu turned around Lagos infrastructure and economy as a governor between 1999 and 2007, and how he gave opportunity to people of different tribes in his government.
Corroborating the forum’s Chairman, Mr Idowu Oguntoyinbo, the Lagos State party Chairman of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) said that only Tinubu had what it would take to revive Nigeria and consolidate on the humongous infrastructural achievements of President Buhari.
Oguntoyinbo, also a former Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PPA as well as a former Assistant Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Lagos State, noted that Tinubu was one of the best brains in his days at the Mobil Nigeria Limited “where his footprints are still indelible till date”.
Also speaking, Mr Shola Omolola, the Lagos State Chairman of MAJA party and Secretary of the FPP, urged Nigerians to to go out en-mass to vote Tinubu because of his proven track records that set him apart from other.
Omolola said that Tinubu’s leadership would spell a new and ideal dawn in constitutional democracy, creation of opportunities and infusion of ideas that would be in tandem with the 21st century global democratic best practices. (NAN) (www.nanews.ng)
Edited by Vivian Ihechu
