-Extol Tinubu’s democratic credentials
Kunle ADELABU & Segun ADESUYI (Photo Credit)
Thousands of residents and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikorodu Division gathered on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, to march across major streets in commemoration of the June 12 anniversary.
According to the organizers, the celebration was also to appreciate President Mohammadu Buhari for honouring the late hero of the freest and fairest election in Nigeria, late Chief MKO Abiola, and extolled the democratic credentials of the national leader of the APC , Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The celebration, which was organized by the Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the representative of the Ikorodu Constituency I, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, was attended by APC chieftains, council chairmen and representatives from the six Local Government and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Ikorodu Division.
Residents and members of the APC were seen gathering at the take-off point of the solidarity match at Ikorodu garage roundabout as early as 8am on that day and by 10am, the venue had been filled up with participants from the six council areas in the division most of whom were carrying placards and banners with different messages like, “Thank you Asiwaju Tinubu for Liberating Ikorodu Constituency I”, “On Asiwaju mandate we stands”, “Asiwaju is our national leader”, “Thank you Jagaban, the man with large heart” and “Thank you Asiwaju” among others
After singing several solidarity songs to invoke the spirit of the June 12 struggle and speeches by selected individuals, the mammoth crowd marched from the Ikorodu garage roundabout through Ayangbure road, where they had a brief stop over to pay homage and take a group photograph at the frontage of the Ayangbure palace, to Ojogbe junction from where they connected Oriwu Road and moved through Ita-Elewa square down to Ota-Ona and matched through Awolowo way before finally berthing at the Fuwagbuyi Court, the secretariat of APC in Ikorodu.
Meanwhile, in his address at the Ikorodu garage roundabout, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives and Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos East Senatorial District, eulogized the supreme sacrifices paid by late Abiola as well as other dead and living heroes of democracy.
“It is my pleasure this morning to address this mammoth crowd in celebrating the memory of the freest elections in Nigeria which was held in 1993”,he stated.
“The road that we are threading today was paved by the blood, sweat and resources of some of our heroes dead and living. Today, we should remember them, learn from history as well as deepen and strengthen our democracy in Nigeria.
“I want to identify and mention our martyr, Bashorun Moshood Abiola, who sacrificed all that we may have the democracy that we are enjoying today.
“He was denied the mandate for 25 years and has just now been recognized by somebody who has the fear of God and responded to the wishes of the people to give us what we have been yearning and asking for which is the recognition of Abiola and others who had paid the supreme sacrifice for what we are enyoying today in Nigeria.
“Abiola didnt just sacrifice himself for us, but in like manner, his wife, Kudirat Abiola, paid with her blood. She refused to run away, rather she stayed to fight for the good course with her husband despite knowing that she would be killed.
“So also was that erudite lawyer and Senior Advocate of the Masses, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, who was dogged and tenacious. He was in court all the time challenging the annulment of June 12 and all the impunity and violations under the military and fighting for democratic rule in Nigeria.
“He died for we to have today. Likewise, many others heroes sacrificed for what we are experiencing today with their resources, efforts and lives. Their death must not be in vain.
“We also remember Pa Abraham Adesanya, the ‘Apamaku of Nigeria’ (the one that refused to die in the hands of the oppressors). He was persecuted and knocked down severaly, and yet, he did not abdicate the struggle. He never abandoned the June 12 struggle.
“We are remembering them today, learning from them so that all of us may put our hands on deck to deepen our democracy for the betterment of you and I and the entire masses.
Asipa Olusanya also paid a glowing tribute to the role played by the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Tinubu, in the June 12 struggle and the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria.
“We also have living heroes of this struggle, in particular, one dogged, tenacious and forthright fighter who refused and can never be suppressed, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu”, he said to the cheering crowd.
“ When the struggle was very hot, tense and deadly, Tinubu went on exile and while there, he was connecting with the international community so that June 12 may be remembered and fulfilled”, he recalled.
“He engaged in the struggle spending his resources, time , energy and intellect for the actualization of what we are all enjoying today. He is a symbol of the June 12 struggle. Perhaps, if such people did not sacrifice and refused to pay the price, we may not be where we are today.
“We are here today because of their sacrifices. A group of people designed this road we are walking today. They laboured and constructed this road to the democracy we are witnessing today.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on all the good people of Ikorodu and resourceful youths of Ikorodu to join hands with us in politics. Politics is not a dirty game. It’s a matter of choice, perception and ideology. We may not necessarily share same ideals, but we can resolve, navigate and dialogue on ways to move Ikorodu, Lagos State and our country forward”, he appealed.
The new State Vice Chairman of the ruling party also used the occasion to call on the aggrieved members of the party to join hands with the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Tinubu, and others in moving the party forward.
Also, Dr Abiodun Fatai Abatan, a lecturer in the department of Political Science, Lagos State University (LASU), addressed the gathering.
His words, “We are here today not only because we are celebrating June 12 and the national honour and recognition recently bestowed on the symbol of the struggle, but also for the fact that it has ushered in democracy in Nigeria”, the political scientist stated.
“June 12 is the mother of May 29. It was the struggle that many embarked upon after the unjust annulment of the June 12 elections that ushered in May 29. Without June 12 in which Abiola paid the ultimate price, there would not have been May 29.
“June 12 has given us a template to bring ourselves together as one regardless of our ideologies, principles and whether we are in APC which used to be a Southwest party but which today is a national party.
“The solidarity we shared in voting massively for Abilola in 1993 should be rekindled and resonated, not in our democratic ideals alone, but also in terms of our collective aspiration to having true leadership; commitment to development of Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole and on the basis of that, I want to appeal to the people of Ikorodu to always reason together and vote for people with ideology”, he stated.
“Somebody like Hon. Sanai Agunbiade played a bigger role when the struggle was on. We were here together (Ikorodu garage roundabout) and at Ojota when the struggle was on. People with antecedent and pedigree should be given the opportunity to serve us more”, he stated.
While also speaking during the rally, Comrade Sesan Daini, the former Speaker of the Students’ Representatives Council of the University of Lagos Students’ Union and currently, the Chairman of the Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA), appreciated the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for declaring June 12 as public holiday.
“I want to thank the Governor of Lagos State for declaring today as a public holiday despite the position of the Federal Government that we cannot have two democracy day in a year.
“What we are having today is the culmination of the struggle of 25 years. Children born in 1993 are today 25 years old, while those that were the youngest eligible voters then at 18 years are today 43 years. This implies that everybody alive in 1993 are today eligible to vote”.
“I want to use this opportunity to plead with us to remember the coming general elections into State Assemblies, Governorship, House of Representatives, Senate and Presidency. Let’s us all go out and vote for our party, APC”, he stated while calling on the people to vote for the ruling party in the 2019 general elections.
“I want to equally say that what President Buhari has done is not only to remember June 12 and Abiola, but has also increased the economic value of the country. One of major factors of nation’s growth and development is history, and by this singular act, he has awaken our historical consciousness”.
“He has revived June 12 and today, we can conveniently give our children good narration about what the day actually stands for so that they too can learn some positive lessons thereof.
“He has helped in taking us back to our history and the development of tourism and entertainment in the country with the recognition of MKO Abiola and June 12. I challenge our movie makers and other involved in intellectual works to go into the achieve and history to document and narrate June 12 to our children and generation yet unborn”, he said while challenging movie makers and art professionals in Nigeria to document June 12.
“This would let Nigerians and the entire world know what we sacrificed for democracy and sustain its ideals” Daini stated
In the same vein, Former Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Princess Aderenle Ogunsanya, described the celebration of June 12 as “recognition of the Nigeria’s unity and resolve of millions of people to vote freely”.
Former Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Prince Aderenle Ogunsanya described the celebration of June 12 as “recognition of the Nigeria unity and resolve of millions of vote freely”
Alhaji Rilwan Jinadu, former APC Chairman in Ikorodu LG in his own speech at the garage roundabout called for massive votes for all the ruling party’s candidates in the coming general elections.
Speaking with our reporter, Hon. Azeez Jimoh Olosugbo, the Director-General of Onward Movement, the operational arm of Hon. Sanai Agunbiade and the Director of Planning & LogistIcs, Team SOB, he stated that he rally is all about celebration of the ideals of democracy which late Chief Abiola, Asiwaju Tinubu and others represents
“We are remembering the ideals and principles of our democratic struggle as represented by the late hero of our democracy, Chief Moshood Abiola, who lost his life during the struggle to revalidate the mandate freely given by millions of Nigerians in 1993
“We are also gathered to remember our own national leader and visionary, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also fought gallantly for the revalidation of June 12 and the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria. He nurtured the most ideological and progressive party in modern day Nigeria from the era of Alliance for Democracy (AD) tp a truly national party, All Progressives Congress (APC)”
“We are celebrating the doggedness of Tinubu and thanking him for given the common men hope of a better party and country
“People of Ikorodu division and our great party are solidly behind him as we have shown with this solidarity match. Our resolve and commitment to his leadership roles and ideals are genuine”, he stated.
Others at the rally were Hon. Wasiu Agoro, chairman, Imota LCDA, Sir (Otunba) Ayodele Elesho, former Commissioner for Information and State NLC leader during the struggle, Hon. Abiodun Iyiola, APC Chairman in Ikorodu North LCDA, Hon. Gbenga Basanya, former Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku, Madam Feyisara Ademola, APC Woman Leader, Ikorodu Central LG, Alhaji Kabat Ajalogun, the Director-General, Team SOB, Hon. Kunle Ogunbela, former Chairman, Ikorodu North LCDA, Elder ajayi Bembe, former Secretary to the Ikorodu Local Government, Hon. Matthew Adesanya, APC Chieftain, Alhaji Taiwo Longe, APC Chairman, Ikorodu LG, Comrade Kehinde Okeowo, Director-General, Otunba Ganiu Abiru Campaign Team, Hon. Jide Banjoko, former chairman of Ikorodu West LCDA and Tayo Odesanya, Deputy Director-General, Otunba Ganiu Abiru Campaign Team among others.
