MONDAY 23RD DECEMBER 2019
BACK TO OUR ROOT
My dear compatriots and good people of Ogun State, it is with deep sense of gratitude that I say thank you for all your support and sacrifices.
On Wednesday, 18th of December 2019, the Supreme Court of Nigeria gave its verdict on the Ogun State governorship election of the year. The judgement, however, fell short of our expectation.
We are in no doubt of the fact that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State voted for us in the primary election of October 2018, and that the good people of Ogun State overwhelmingly voted for us during the governorship election of March 2019.
In fact, it has been a long and arduous journey that traversed the APC primaries of 2nd October 2019, moving to the Allied People’s Movement (APM), the February 23rd and Mach 9th elections, the Tribunal, Appeal and ultimately the Supreme Court.
Through it all, you stood with me and for this, I will be eternally grateful because you all thought me that the single most important investment I can make in life, is in people.
Our struggle to actualise the mandate freely given to us by the good people of Ogun State had been pursued with due respect and loyalty to our father and leader, who believes in justice and fairness.
In this respect, I extend our sincere appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who despite all efforts
from certain quarters to blackmail us before him, stood by his conviction on the course of justice and fairness.
We also express our appreciation to Senator Ibikunle Amosun, CON FCA, who despite his leadership of the APC and persecution from certain quarters for supporting the cause of justice, never wavered in his conviction about ensuring justice.
My appreciation goes to the Allied People’s Movement (APM) as a party for availing us the platform to redress the injustice meted to us during the APC primaries. Our gratitude goes to the APM National and State chairmen for their supports and prayers all through this political journey. A special thank you goes to the entire campaign team from the DG, his deputy, the various Committees, the
57 LGs/LCDA coordinators, Ward coordinators, PU heads, our media team and all our Agents during the February 23rd and March 9th elections.
I would also like to most specially thank the courageous Wards and LG Agents that stepped forward at great personal risks to give evidence during the Election Tribunal seating in Isabo, Abeokuta. The expert witness, our legal team and all those who attended each court proceedings. My appreciation goes to all our elders who
despite their age, came out each time in a rare show of support. I further wish to thank everyone that contributed
one way or the other before, during and after the elections.
Although every contribution means the world to me, I wish to seek your kind indulgence to specifically mention an elderly woman who called to tell me that she sent me a N200 airtime. It is gestures like this that spurred me on to
believe that the people appreciate what the struggles was all about.
To our critics and antagonists, I say thank you because your resolve not to share our views and vision meant that we had to continually strive to succeed.
I have always believed that true loyalty is not a process of convenience but commitment. My aspiration to be the
governor of this great State was hinged on the ideology of sustaining the MISSION TO REBUILD agenda of the administration our leader, His Excellency, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun and the entire class of 2011-2015 and 2015-2019.
In the course of the struggle, I learnt that it is honourable to display strong character of purpose and to be unapologetic about your convictions to be different. Indeed, principles usually come at a cost.
As I have had cause to say at different fora, three things are constant with God, first, you get that which you seek immediately; secondly, God delays it until His own time and thirdly; God compensates you; for He is the all-knowing. By traversing the Gubernatorial Election Tribunal, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, we have pursued our convictions on the election to a logical conclusion, thus we must accept the outcome as the Will of God and leave the rest to the Almighty God and posterity.
As democrats and believers in the rule of Law, we must now set our grievances aside, display the same courage and high sense of responsibility that kept us on the cause for justice through the last 15 months. We must at this junction show that our efforts so far were truly driven by the unwavering desire to sustain the unprecedented developmental strides recorded between 2011 and 2019 across our dear State. I hereby assure all of you that we have lost nothing, rather through our collective actions and support from God, We have set in motion a chain of actions that hinges on our resolve to sustain this noble vision tagged the Mission to Rebuild our dear State Ogun.
At the stakeholders meeting of Sunday the 22nd of December 2019 in Abeokuta by leaders, elders and members of our great Party APC, it was agreed that it is time for those of us who left the APC to contest the elections on the platform of Allied People’s Movement (APM) in the last elections to return to the fold.
As loyal party members, we accept and wish to use this opportunity to thank them for allowing us to explore our aspirations even when it came at great political and personal cost to them.
I therefore thank, for the umpteenth time, our teeming supporters, who stood up to the challenge of the last 15 months. They endured all attempts to persecute them and remained steadfast in their conviction about our mandate.
We have always expressed the conviction that in the fullest of time and after the struggle to restore the mandate of our people, we shall return to the APC, which
we toiled with fellow compatriots to build, nourish and entrench in Ogun State.
It is with this reality in mind that I most sincerely call on every one of you that it is time to return home to the pre- October 2nd 2018 Ogun State APC political family with the view to sustain our core base, consolidate our gains so far, and continue to support the efforts of President
Muhammadu Buhari to positively reposition our dear Country.
May I use this opportunity to commend my Deputy Governorship candidate, Mrs. Peju Adebajo for her steadfastness in the journey, and a very big thank you to my wife, our children, and everyone for believing that we could and ultimately we will God willing!
Signed,
Hon. Adekunle Abdulkabir Akinlade.
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