The Ekiti governor Biodun Oyebanji and the former governor Kayode Fayemi have urged people to vote for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC's presidential candidate, ahead of the general elections in 2023.
They reached the decision on Tuesday during the traditional Christmas gathering of APC leaders and stakeholders that Fayemi hosted at his country residence in Isan-Ekiti.
The state and the nation will benefit greatly from the APC retaining the presidency with Tinubu in charge, according to Fayemi, a former presidential candidate and currently Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs to the APC Presidential candidate.
He expressed confidence that if the party won every seat in the State and National Assembly, the State would see more growth.
This, according to Fayemi, could only be accomplished by a broad mobilisation of backing for the party's candidates.
The former governor praised Asiwaju for being a brilliant political leader and strategist and claimed he has the background, exposure, and skills necessary to run the nation successfully.
He said that in order to keep the pace of growth in the nation, a sizable number of people required to vote for Tinubu and APC state and National Assembly candidates.
“I, therefore, canvass for massive votes for all the APC candidates for the state and national assembly seats, and as well ensure that the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerges as the next President of the country,” Fayemi said.
He thanked the Ekiti people for choosing a competent person in Oyebanji as their governor, saying that the people had started seeing the benefits of electing someone with competence and character into office.
“I want to thank you again for electing BAO as your governor. He has the capacity, and compassion, he is calm and he is a man of integrity.
“He also has what I don’t particularly have. He connects easily; If you recall an interview I gave about two years ago.
“I said I want a governor who will do everything that I can do but also has that bits of connecting with our people a lot better than I managed to do.
“So there is no reason why Ekiti people should be in any doubt that he is going to do much better than what I have done in the office,’’ Fayemi said.
According to him, the presidency is number one and we have a candidate whom we believe will do well for the country if he gets elected.
“I’m sure you all want Asiwaju as our next President. So, we have to do everything under the leadership of our governor to win that particular election.
“Then we need continuity in our House of Assembly. The governor cannot work alone and our determination is to ensure that 26 of the 26 members that will work with Gov. Oyebanji are from our own party,” he said.
Contributing, Oyebanji explained that the APC paraded the best candidates in all the elective positions, saying that Tinubu’s election as the next president of the country was non-negotiable.
He assured the people of more dividends of democracy with Asiwaju Tinubu as the next President with APC having the majority of members of the National Assembly and APC retaining all the 26 seats in the Ekiti Assembly.
“We are prepared as a party and we have the best candidates and we are just waiting for the coronation come February.
“We are optimistic that Nigerians will vote for us massively. We shall also mobilise massively for our candidates,” he said.
Some leaders that spoke at the annual get-together thanked Fayemi for sustaining the hosting of the annual gathering, which was attended by political leaders from all the 177 wards in the state.