- Senator Tony Adeniyi, SAN, inaugurated Ekiti State Coordinator, ATSCGG.
By Banji Ayoola
“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has a good record; he is easy to sell; he has paid his dues through so many means; a lot of responsible Nigerians are products of his benevolence. He is qualified to govern the Nigerian State.”
These among others, were some of the reasons given by by a former envoy, Ambassador Sola Iji, on why All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is eminently qualified to be elected as Nigeria’s next leader in the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election.
Iji, who is the South West Zonal Coordinator of the Asiwaju Tinubu/Shettima Coalition for Good Governance (ATSCGG.), spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Friday, September 16 during his maiden meeting with all support groups in the state that are working to ensure that Tinubu wins the coming election.
He urged the coalition, which is the aggregate of all the support groups, “to work conscientiously to see our Principal become the next President of our Nation, Nigeria.”
Besides, he advised the newly inaugurated State Coordinator of the coalition, Senator Tony Adeniyi, SAN, to put his state excos in place without further delay.
This he said, “must be carried out meticulously without fear or favour and with respect to the registered support groups with the ATSCGG.”
The former envoy said that the purpose of the gathering was to hold an inaugural meeting with the support groups “working for the actualisation of our Presidential Candidate and his running mate in the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Election.”
He said: “Our efforts must be geared towards achieving success for the Party and its Presidential Candidate and his running mate.”
Explaining that the efforts of the various support groups would be harnessed to compliment that of the Party, he stressed that the coalition was not established to replace the Party structure. The groups are not, therefore, in competition with the Party Excos, he emphasised.
He said: “The coalition is to bring everybody together so that it will be effective and success guaranteed.
“When we talk of support groups, we mean the number of groups that are working on the field and not the individuals. It’s by doing this that our efforts can be recognised and rewarded accordingly.
“If we recall correctly, these support groups promoted Asiwaju Tinubu greatly in getting the Party ticket. Now that our National Principal has got the Party ticket, we need to energise and restrategise to ensure the eventual triumph.
“I want to admonish us to do this work to the extent that we can be recognised and get the reward due to us.”
He apologised for coming a little behind schedule; saying it was due to difficulties encountered on the road.
In his welcome speech, the newly inaugurated Ekiti State Coordinator of the ATSCGG., Senator Tony Adeniyi, SAN. welcomed Ambassador Iji, his entourage and members of the support groups that attended the meeting.
He affirmed that all the support groups would maintain their individual identities and promised that regular meetings would be held with them all.
While advising all the support groups to “work together to ensure our Presidential Candidate’s and his running mate’s success at the poll,” Adeniyi spoke glowingly of Tinubu, who, according to him, had been helpful to them in Ekiti State.
He said: “Therefore, we should see this political season as mainly paybacks.
He was sure that Tinubu would fulfil whatever promises he had made with the masses. Promising that there would be no cheating in the conduct of the affairs of the coalition, the coordinator said that everything would be done transparently.
The senator thanked his people for attending the meeting despite their other engagements.
Earlier in his acceptance speech, the State Coordinator of the ATSCGG., expressed joy and gratitude for the appointment.
He urged his people to accept him as he is ready to carry them along in the administration of the coalition in the state.
In their responses, the support groups through their representatives agreed to work for Tinubu and Shettima, his running mate through Senator Adeniyi.
They listed some of the things that Tinubu had done for them in Ekiti including helping them financially; assisting them to win elections; coming to their aid anytime they had political issues or difficulties.
Besides, they promised to be good ambassadors of Ekiti State in their quest to achieve success for the Party and its Presidential Candidate.
The State Coordinator of the neighbouring Ondo State Chapter of the ATSCGG., Barrister Olarenwaju Kazeem, a former member of the House of Representatives and a former Ondo State Commissioner for Agriculture, brought a toasty fraternal greeting from his state’s chapter of the coalition.
He urged the Ekiti State Chapter to work assiduously for Tinubu and Shettima, promising that this will not be done in vain.
He eulogised the APC presidential candidate and assured that “he would perform creditably when he becomes our country’s President in the 2023 Presidential Election.”
Kazeem added that his principal “had in the past done many significant things to alleviate the suffering of the people both at the personal and governmental levels.
He said that Tinubu “had made a lot of sacrifices in the past which have resulted in the democracy we are enjoying today. I beg you, let’s work together to ensure his success at the poll.
Earlier, while inviting the ex-envoy to present his speech, the man behind the organisation of the meetings of the ATSCGG. on behalf of the Zonal Coordinator, Onibudo ‘Wole Iroaye, who is also the Federal Commissioner representing South-West on the Board of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Presidency, Abuja, described his boss, Ambassador Sola Iji as a notable politician.
Besides, he is a reputable lawyer who had served the party in various capacities including being the Chairman of the AD., AC., and ACN. that metamorphosed into APC.
He said his principal “was a former Ambassador to the Republic of Togo, where he served our Country, Nigeria, meritoriously.”
Iroaye assured the gathering that “with Ambassador Sola Iji, the South-West Coordinator, as our pilot in the affairs of the ATSCGG., we should be rest assured of our safety and success.”
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