As plans for the 2023 election hots up, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has appealed to Nigeria’s Southwest geopolitical zone to rectify the wrongs that were done against the late sage, nationalist Yoruba leader and Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
He noted that the Yoruba people supported the ambition of people from other regions other than Awolowo who was from the Southwest and their own.
While addressing stakeholders during the State flag-off of Southwest Agenda for Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, (SWAGA 2023) at Aurora Event Centre, the royal father lamented that it is awful that the Southwest states did not support Awolowo during his time. Hence, they resorted to character assassination and casting aspersion on him.
The first class monarch said: “SWAGA is my own. We are here today because of a valuable leader. We don’t have any other leader in Yoruba land other than Tinubu. We are not going to be ungrateful to our leaders and heroes anymore; we have done that to Awolowo.
“Many of our young adults and youths don’t know Awolowo, but know the history. He was a great man, during his time he was greatly criticised. This is very bad of us in Yoruba land. But during my time, both as a youth and king, we are going to correct the mistake of the past, we are not going to be ungrateful. You cannot see a Hausa man castigating their leaders. We need to remove the curse in Yoruba land of castigating and being ungrateful to our leaders who are our heroes.”
He stressed that Tinubu developed Lagos while he served as the governor and even raised leaders across the country.
“We want a new Southwest with great infrastructural growth. Who else has that capacity to run for the 2023 poll in Southwest? We all need to right the wrong of the past in 2023. It is not about any political party, not about APC or PDP; it is about supporting our own,” the Oluwo added.
The Chairman of SWAGA, Senator Dayo Adeyeye reiterated that the movement is sponsored by APC leaders in the region without the knowledge of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.
He unveiled the state executives of SWAGA chaired by Hon Ayo Omidiran.
The Nation
