Tinubu is a Comedian, Says Atiku

The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, mocked his counterpart in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, as a clown, who was only fit to contest the post of “Grand Comedian of the Federal Republic”.

Atiku advised APC to immediately replace Tinubu following his unceasing helpless gaffes, to avoid further embarrassments.

Atiku spoke in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu.

The PDP candidate alleged that Tinubu was only suitable for the position of comic chief, and never president of Nigeria, going by his error-ridden utterances, which signify failing health.

Relatedly, in Kaduna State, director-general of the PDP campaign council, Haruna Sa’eed, dismissed Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s recent apology to the people of the state as “meaningless”, because it would not “reverse the hardship and pain he had inflicted on the people”.

Atiku said in the statement that it was common knowledge that Tinubu goofed every time he came out in public to speak.

The statement said, “If he is not saying that voter’s card has expiration date; he is saying that young Nigerians are Tweeting on WhatsApp or that 50 million youths should be recruited into the Nigerian Army and be fed with cassava in the morning, and Agbado in the night. How can you say Nigerians are Tweeting on WhatsApp? .

Common, is that the kind of person we want to hand 21st Century Nigeria over to? In his latest gaffe at the Lagos rally, he asked Nigerians to get their APV in order to vote for APC, when even primary school children know that the PVC is the only item that admits a voter into a polling unit.

“Without mincing words Tinubu’s gaffes already supply comedians, skit makers, meme-makers, and TikTokers with content. He is a self-writing joke and will make Nigeria a bye-word for scorn among the comity of nations, which is why he shouldn’t get close to power.

Truth be told, lack of mental depth complicated by dementia occasioned by old age is the most mis-recommending criterion against a Tinubu presidency. And examples abound to buttress this point. Just listen to any of his extempore speeches and what you find is lack of coherence, logic and verve.

“It is for the purpose of unmasking the real Tinubu and exposing him for who he really is, that we have challenged the APC standard bearer to an hour-long television interview.”

The statement added that APC’s seven and a half years reign was a sad reminder of Nigeria’s arrested development since 2015, when they came to power.

It said Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s claim at the Lagos rally that Tinubu would lift Nigerians out of hardship and hunger was an indictment on the APC, an admission that, indeed, over 133 million Nigerians now live in abject poverty, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Atiku stated further regarding Tinubu and his party, “Now they are selling a message of a renewed hope. It is common knowledge that darkness cannot cure darkness and sickness cannot cure sickness. How can the APC be promising to fix problems exacerbated by the APC? This is balderdash.”

According to the statement, the most compelling reason for APC to be de-registered is the fact that it has driven millions of Nigerians deeper into poverty since 2015, when it came to power, and spent trillions of naira procuring hunger, darkness, and insecurity.

Atiku stated further in the statement by Shaibu, “If the APC are not keen on replacing this disaster of a candidate, they should in the alternative apologise to all Nigerians for bringing them nothing but suffering of unquantifiable proportion since 2015, and proceed to make a solemn pledge not to have anything to do with governance, especially, with the February 25 election fast approaching.

“I must confess that I consider the remarks credited to the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Saturday, November 26th, 2022, where he laboured, albeit unsuccessfully, to paint the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate as ungrateful and overambitious as not only offensive but reckless.

“Instead of attacking Atiku, he should have dissipated that energy on telling Nigerians about himself, especially, at this time, when it is said at various fora that the only thing that is real about Tinubu is his person and that every other ascription on him is a borrowed robe.

“To be sure, Nigerians believe that Tinubu should come in the open to effectively disclaim the allegation that his name, as it appears on public documents, is not his name; that the parents he claimed were not his; that the certificates he claimed to be his are not and that the schools he claimed to have attended didn’t know him.

“The issue of which schools he attended is already in the public domain, as only few months ago, he told the Independent National electoral commission (INEC) that he didn’t attend primary and secondary schools. The former Lagos governor, however, claimed he had two degrees from two American universities, which he further stated had been stolen by unknown soldiers during the military junta of the 1990s.”

He stated further, “Lagos is used as evidence of his leadership, but Lagos is the major reason he should never be president and the leader of the country and party. He will become an immutable sole administrator in Nigeria as he is in Lagos.

“If Tinubu’s ambition were about good governance, we dare to ask why he forced former Governor Ambode out?  This self-appointed ‘maker’ of President Buhari and ’emilokan’ exponent, wants to be the Groom in every wedding and the corpse in every funeral. The centre of the political universe.

“In Lagos, he is the State.  No one can be anything without his approval. Governors are his little errand boys and can only disagree with him at their risk. He keeps them guessing about getting second term so he can have absolute control over them. Only Fashola showed some independent streak. The rest are like cyborgs. The current one is acting like a victim of a brain transplant

“Since emerging as the presidential candidate of the party in early June, Tinubu has not shared a stage with any of the candidates. Tinubu has continued to avoid public scrutiny or elaborate media interviews where he can answer questions about his source of wealth and his background. Now that he is seeking the highest office in the land, Tinubu has made it clear that he will not attend media interviews or debates. In other words, he wants automatic job employment without an interview.

But the issue of his involvement in drugs needs to be settled once and for all so that Nigerians would know whether Ahmed Bola Tinubu is an innocent man getting a bad whack from the opposition, or whether he is a danger to Nigeria and its democracy, because Nigeria cannot afford to elect a drug lord.

“The question is, did Bola Tinubu ever have something to do with heroin trafficking and money laundering leading to the forfeiture of $460,000? If the answer is in the affirmative, then the APC should do the most honourable thing by apologising to Nigerians and withdrawing him from the race because he presents a major national security risk and places Nigeria in the rank of pariah narco-nations.”

Meanwhile, in a statement Sunday, Sa’eed said the attempt by El-Rufai to distance himself from the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Senator Uba Sani, was like a crude attempt to separate conjoined twins.

“El-Rufai cannot deliberately and recklessly create hardship for the people of Kaduna State for eight years and then think that he can conveniently utter a political apology at the twilight of his tenure,” Saeed said.

El-Rufai had while addressing party members during the inauguration of the APC campaign council, last week in Kaduna, apologised to those he might have offended in the course of his work and asked for forgiveness.

He had said, “We know in the course of this job, we have offended some people. They should forgive us. I will not contest again, so, do not blame others for my mistakes. Those I mistakenly offended, I seek their forgiveness.”

But Saeed, in the statement, said, “On the surface, this apology might look noble, but since El-Rufai has, probably, not heard of the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, who admonished people not to ruin an apology with an excuse, this apology, apart from being made in a political gathering to suit itching ears, is bereft of honesty and sincerity.”

The PDP chieftain said El- Rufai and Sani “are one and the same. The fear that the people of Kaduna should even entertain if the anointed candidate would not exceed his anointer in apathy.”

He maintained, “In addition to the fact that an apology followed by an excuse means that the same deliberate act could be repeated again, it came at a time when it lacks substance and offensive in context.

“More disingenuous is his attempt to separate his insensitive and intolerant mode of governance from his anointed candidate in 2023. It means he is repudiating the known democratic principles of governance as a continuous process. So sad!

“El-Rufai cannot deliberately and recklessly create hardship for the people of Kaduna State for eight years and then think that he can conveniently utter a political apology at the twilight of his tenure.

“At what point did he think an apology was appropriate? Was his apology targeted at those he sacked from work without paying them their entitlement? Those whose homes and businesses were demolished on the altar of aestheticism?

“Was his political apology targeted at the lives of millions of Kaduna people that he endangered when he made reckless and boastful statements on insecurity? Was his apology targeted at the millions of Kaduna people who, today, can’t go to their farms or even stay at their homes because of the pervasive insecurity in almost all parts of the state?

“Was his apology aimed at the bastardisation of the state’s civil service, or his naked intolerance to those, who dared to oppose him?

“El- Rufai can apologise severally before he leaves, but it won’t change the fact that his meaningless apology won’t reverse the hardship and pain he brought to the people of Kaduna State. It rankles more that this apology came without restitution, which smacks of only a cosmetic act without substance.”

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Founded on January 22, 1995, THISDAY is published by THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LTD., 35 Creek Road Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria with offices in 36 states of Nigeria , the Federal Capital Territory and around the world. It is Nigeria’s most authoritative news media available on all platforms for the political, business, professional and diplomatic elite and broader middle classes while serving as the meeting point of new ideas, culture and technology for the aspirationals and millennials. The newspaper is a public trust dedicated to the pursuit of truth and reason covering a range of issues from breaking news to politics, business, the markets, the arts, sports and community to the crossroads of people and society.

5′

Stakeholders Extol Ovia as Zenith Names Iconic Unilag Alumni Building in Honour of Late Ibidapo-Obe

Breaking | 12 hours ago

Peter Uzoho

The memory of late Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (Unilag) came alive as Zenith Bank Plc named the iconic building housing its Unilag branch and the University of Lagos (Unilag) Alumni in his honour last Friday.

In his opening remarks at the inauguration ceremony, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc and Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs in Nigeria, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, lauded the Founder and Chairman of the bank, Jim Ovia, for being physically present at the commissioning of the building to honour the memory of his late friend, Prof. Ibidapo-Obe, who served on the board of Zenith Bank as a Non-Executive Director, and for his passion for youth education and digital learning.

He noted the remarkable and continued commitment of Ovia to education and youth development in Nigeria, especially through the setting up of the James Hope College, a co-educational institution which offers a combination of British and Nigerian curricula, and the James Hope University, which is billed to commence academic activities next year.He also extolled his philanthropy through the setting up of the Jim Ovia Foundation and Mankind United in Total Support for Education Initiative, which has awarded scholarships and produced over 1500 graduates from among indigent people who would not have had the benefit of having a university education.Onyeagwu also recalled how the bank’s partnership with the University of Lagos began in 2001 with the donation of the first ICT centre, when the Founder and Chairman was the Group Managing Director/ CEO of the bank. According to him, “Today, Zenith Bank has built not less than 15 ICT centres in various tertiary institutions and cities all over the country. And I just want to say that no single institution or individual has been able to accomplish what we have done in that respect.

“And this is a demonstration of the passion our Founder and Chairman has, not just for education, but also for digital learning and computer literacy. This is in addition to several other support to the university, including the institution of Academic Excellence Awards in 2001, where the best graduating students from selected departments – Banking & Finance, Business Administration, Economics and Accounting, receive awards with financial rewards (currently NGN500,000) and employment opportunity, and the donation of 3,500 tablets to enable indigent students of the university to learn online effectively in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Onyeagwu noted that the building was a strong statement of Zenith Bank’s sustainability initiatives as a signatory to several global sustainability frameworks including the United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking, as it incorporates many of the elements that make a facility environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Speaking at the commissioning of the iconic building, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel noted the huge contributions of Zenith Bank and, in particular, Ovia, a man he described as a father to the development of Nigeria.In his words,” when you see things being done consistently in the right way, there is always a man pointing in that direction. A lot of people ask me how come you are doing so much in public service; I say I come from a background where my mentor told me that you don’t report efforts, you don’t give excuses, but you report results.

“So no matter the situation, even in the midst of an economic recession, in the midst of Covid-19, you should not stop development and performance. As far as you are from the Zenith family, you are expected to have that creativity and ideas that can make you produce results.“In Zenith, we say only the paranoid survive. So I really want to appreciate what I am seeing here today.”Whilst thanking the alumni association and the school authority for their collaborative efforts towards achieving capacity development, which he described as the bane of Nigerian society, he expressed delight and honour to commission a building named after the revered Late Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, who touched and impacted so many people while he was alive.

In his address, the National President of Unilag Alumni Association, Dr. John Momoh, thanked the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank as well as the management of the bank for the magnificent building and Mrs. Sola Ibidapo-Obe for accepting the association’s request to name the building after her husband as a lasting legacy in his honour. He encouraged everyone to take good care of and maintain the building to serve the university community for years to come.In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, acknowledged the invaluable contributions of Zenith Bank to the development of the school, promising to work with the Alumni association to ensure that the facility serves not only the Alumni but also the entire students populace.

She thanked the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, Ovia, for donating 3,500 tablets to the university, which ensured that students who could not afford laptops for e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic were not left behind.In her remarks, Mrs. Sola Ibidapo-Obe, thanked the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank for immortalising her late husband with such a great edifice named after him. Recalling how close he was to her late husband, Mrs Ibidapo-Obe said: “You are my husband’s friend. Dr. Jim Ovia has demonstrated the love that does not die in his friendship with my beloved husband. When he fell ill, Dr. Jim Ovia was there from day one till the last moment. I could feel the way he felt. From then, I knew that he was a genuine friend. He tried his best to ensure my husband survived, but he did not.”The iconic building, which sits on a total site area of 950m2, was constructed by a team of world-class builders who had the mandate of delivering the best quality possible.

The iconic structure is a smart building that incorporates many of the elements that make a facility environmentally friendly and sustainable, including a grid-tie solar system that sustains power load on solar and not on a generator or national grid, an inverter-driven VRF air conditioning system and motion sensor lighting to enhance energy efficiency, perforated aluminium composite panels for natural lighting and ventilation, free Wi-Fi system to provide internet access for students, fire management systems, including fire hydrant, smoke detector, and fire alarm system, and a LED screen installed on the building for the dissemination of information.The iconic building would house the Unilag Branch of Zenith Bank Plc and the operations of Unilag Alumni. Of the total 1,665m2 of floor area designated for office use in the four-storey building, 585m2 will be used by Unilag Alumni.

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Founded on January 22, 1995, THISDAY is published by THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LTD., 35 Creek Road Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria with offices in 36 states of Nigeria , the Federal Capital Territory and around the world. It is Nigeria’s most authoritative news media available on all platforms for the political, business, professional and diplomatic elite and broader middle classes while serving as the meeting point of new ideas, culture and technology for the aspirationals and millennials. The newspaper is a public trust dedicated to the pursuit of truth and reason covering a range of issues from breaking news to politics, business, the markets, the arts, sports and community to the crossroads of people and society.

10′

Adeleke Assumes Office, Abolishes State of Osun, Reverses Oyetola’s Appointments

Breaking | 10 hours ago

* Freezes all government accounts

*Promises to correct past injustices, corrupt acts, bad policies*PDP governors congratulate new Osun helmsman, welcome him to forum

*Ex-governor explains how he sustained state without borrowing

*Pays N97bn out of inherited debt, leaves over N14bn in cash* PDP governors congratulate Adeleke, welcome him to forum

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Senator Ademola Adeleke, yesterday, took the oath of office and assumed power as the sixth democratically elected governor of Osun State.Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adepele Ojo, administered the oath of allegiance and oath of office to Adeleke and his deputy, Kola Adewusi, at the Osogbo township stadium.In his first official acts as governor, Adeleke, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), announced changes on a broad range of policies and issues. He abolished the “State of Osun” appellation, which was promulgated by one of his predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola, froze all state accounts, reversed all appointments made by his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, from July 17, when he was declared governor-elect, and promised to correct past injustices, corrupt acts, and bad policies of the immediate past administration.

PDP Governors’ Forum (PGF), yesterday, congratulated Adeleke, on his inauguration as governor of Osun State and welcomed him to the forum.Adeleke had beaten then incumbent governor, Oyetola of All Progressives Congress (APC), to win the July 16 governorship election in Osun State.Oyetola, at the weekend, disclosed that his administration left behind for the new government a total of N14 billion cash in the state’s coffers. He also revealed that his government had successfully paid out some N97 billion from the total debt inherited in 2018, when he assumed office.

In his inaugural speech, Adeleke said, “Since Osun people elected me as your governor on the 16th of July 2022, which the INEC announced on July 17th 2022, the former governor, Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, maliciously started putting roadblocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you.”Adeleke stated that mass employments were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees, even when the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services. He said contracts were hurriedly awarded without budgetary provisions, while some were criminally backdated.

The new governor alleged that appointments of several Obas were also hurriedly done without following due process, stressing that all efforts to get his predecessor to set up a transition committee and submit hand-over notes proved abortive.“It is, therefore, this administration’s desire to ask for people’s patience and understanding,” Adeleke said. He said his administration would in a few weeks review and sort out all actions and mischievous confusions the immediate past administration had created since July 17. He said those actions were vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting APC out of office.

Adeleke issued directives, which would be backed by Executive Orders, freezing all Osun State government accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and establishing a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets.He reverted to the constitutionally recognised name of Osun State, from the State of Osun, adding that all government insignia, correspondence, and signage should henceforth reflect Osun State rather than State of Osun, which he claimed was unknown to the Nigerian constitution.Adeleke said he was aware of the fact that his responsibility as governor and chief security officer of Osun State entailed meeting the legitimate expectations of the people. He promised that the expectations of workers, traders, artisans, farmers, business owners, students, pensioners, traditional, religious leaders, and indeed, all residents of Osun State would be met.

He stated, “Let me state here that from the education, health, mining sector, agriculture, road infrastructure and supply of potable water, let it be known to all that it is no longer going to be business as usual. And I repeat, it is no longer business as usual.“Our administration will demonstrate a high sense of urgency, transparency, justice and innovation to tackle and solve the problems of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and poor infrastructure.

“Your governor will be a people’s governor. I will be accessible, responsive, consultative and proactive in handling small and big matters of state governance. I know that as a product of the collective will of you, my people, there is a heavy weight of history on my shoulders and I accept the urgency of your expectations, the depth of your aspirations and your conviction in me to build a better state.”Adeleke also listed his development agenda for the state, which included welfare of workers and pensioners, boosting the state’s economy, home-grown infrastructure policy, people-focused policy on education, affordable healthcare, security and social welfare, agro-based industrialisation for wealth and job creation.

On his priorities, he said, “It was disheartening to see our state at the bottom of the national educational ratings, especially, in public primary and secondary schools examinations. My administration will launch reform with direct focus on improvement of learning environment and outcome. Our target is to reverse the poor performance of students in public examinations within the next few years.

“To achieve this target, we will prioritise in-service training and welfare of teachers, enhancement of school environment, entrenchment of discipline in the school system as well as involvement of the Parents-Teachers Association in our school administration system.”He said his administration would soon convene an emergency education conference to articulate its blueprint on the restoration of the state’s education glory.The governor saluted the founding fathers of the state, all the past administrators and governors of Osun State, as well as everyone, who had contributed to the growth, stability and progress of the state in the last 31 years.

He promised development with a target on agriculture export earnings.But Oyetola, who gave a brief account of his administration, disclosed that he did not borrow anywhere in the world to run his government. He said he maintained fidelity with his electoral promises since assumption of office.Oyetola made the disclosures in his farewell statement to the people of the state indicating the expiration of his first term in office. He stated that his administration put Osun’s economy on a surer footing through many people-centred and masses-focused projects timely and promptly implemented to make life worthwhile for the people.He said Osun on his watch was stable economically, as manifested in the astronomical increment in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state since he assumed office.

Oyetola stated that he left Osun State more stable economically than he met it in 2018, saying despite all the visible socio-economic challenges, he was able to take care of the fears and evil of fiscal indiscipline and lack of implementation, which hamper projects and services in the nation’s public service.He stated, “As I step aside today, following the conclusion of the four-year tenure you freely gave me, I thank God and I thank you for your support, cooperation and prayers over the years. I recall how the journey began four years ago; how by your belief in me and your conviction in the plans and programmes of our party, you exercised your right to vote for me.

“As we draw the curtains on this first tenure, we are convinced that we neither reneged on our promise nor disappointed you. We kept faith with you and maintained fidelity with our electoral promises. It was our wish to continue to serve you but we are constrained by the outcomes of the July 16 governorship election, which we are already challenging in court.

“As a law-abiding citizen and government, we are stepping aside to allow the law take its course. However, we look forward to continue to serve you in no distant future. We have absolute trust in God that we shall be back soon, as we have implicit trust and confidence in the judiciary to do justice in the case before it.“We are confident that this period of temporary political eclipse shall pass. The sun shall shine again, brighter and warmer and the sustainable development and participatory governance that we enthroned, which have been applauded by local and international organisations, shall be restored and put on a surer and better footing.

“There can be no substitute to people-oriented and development-savvy governance in a democracy.  The taproots of the unprecedented good governance, inclusive and participatory governance that we introduced, which delivered massive equitable projects and programmes, are too strong to be uprooted.“As we end our first term, rest assured that Osun is more stable economically than we met it in 2018 and it remained the most peaceful state in the country under our leadership.

“For four years, we did not take any bank loan facility. But we benefitted from the N3billion monthly intervention from the federal government to all the states for six months to cushion the effect of deductions of budget support facility and salary bailout accessed by the previous administration, just as we have paid N97 billion from the total debt we inherited in 2018.“We are leaving behind cash of over N14 billion. In addition to the N14 billion cash, another N8 billion is being expected between December and January from our performance in SFTAS and the IGR. Also, another Seventy-Two million Dollars will come to the state soon from RAMP 3, NG-CARES, Nigeria for Women Project and Ease of Doing Business.

“These are earned, based on performance. And we have, indeed, performed to earn them. It was part of the same performance that earned us the award of Best Governor on Efficiency of Public Expenditure and TOP Performer on Domestic Revenue Mobilisation by the World Bank’s States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS), recently.

“We have gone this length to let you know that Osun under our leadership was sustainable. It was done through fiscal discipline and personal sacrifices.“On behalf of our team, I appeal to you all to continue to be law abiding and to work assiduously to build the Osun of our dream. Together, we shall continue to mend the broken walls of our dear state and restore her glory for our collective good and that of posterity.“Thank you all and may God continue to bless Osun.”

Meanwhile, no fewer than seven men of  the Western Security Outfit, otherwise known as Amotekun, were weekend wounded by some suspected thugs, who were at the Osogbo Township Stadium during the swearing in ceremony of Adeleke.Sources told THISDAY that the thugs, who were following the new governor behind while he was entering the venue inside his vehicle, on sighting men of Amotekun, descended on them injuring about seven in the process, who were taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention.The hoodlums, who came in large number, were prevented from causing further trouble by armed policemen and other security agencies during the inauguration of the governor.

An eyewitness told THISDAY that the suspected thugs were on a mission of revenge against Amotekun, which they considered part of Oyetola’s government.A competent police source, who confirmed the story, hinted that the police were on the trail of the hoodlums and they would soon be brought to book.But Adeleke has promised to embark on a security sector reform that would target crime prevention, detection, neighbourhood policing, and better synergy among security agencies. He said Amotekun would be strengthened under his administration and would ensure operational linkage between local hunters and the Amotekun Corps.

PGF, in its congratulatory message to Adeleke, noted that his victory at the polls was a testimony to the gallant efforts, hard-work, teamwork, skilful campaigns, efficient resource allocation, openness, and humility he had exhibited over the years.  In a statement by Director General of PGF, Cyril Maduabum, the group said during the campaigns, Adeleke concentrated on issues that mattered most to Osun people and they in turn responded in kind with their votes, bestowing on him and PDP an earth-shaking victory of historic proportions.

PGF stated, “This proves once again that God’s time is the best. He chooses the time and the place. This mandate has all the trapping of the love and prayers of the people. The PDP-GF looks forward to a very engaging and prosperous first tenure for Governor Adeleke and enjoins all the people of the state to continue to pray for him, support him with their undiluted loyalty, as his heart is full of love and concern for their wellbeing.

“Today, the path has been cleared and light of progress is shinning on Osun State. It is now time for the ‘Peoples governor’ – a man so much loved by the people – to settle down to develop a roadmap for the rapid development of Osun State. The state deserves the best.”

The statement said further, “Your colleagues, governors of the PDP and our great party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), pray for divine wisdom and favour, good health and protection as you lead the state as governor. They also assure you of their unalloyed support and brotherly advice always.”