Kunle ADELABU
Hon. Adebayo Sikiru Osinowo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial candidate for Lagos East Senatorial District, has pledged to deliver more benefits to the people of the district if the party records more votes in the district in the coming elections.
The four time lawmaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly made this assurance while addressing people at a town hall meeting organized by the ‘Team Pepper Mobilization Committee’ at the Baptist Academy Event Centre, Somolu, on Monday, February 4.
Osinowo stated that the senatorial district stands to get more political patronage if it records more votes for APC.
In attendance at the meeting were leaders, candidates and members of APC as well as market men and women, artisans, youth groups among others.
He also stated that the feat would enables him to bargain for compensation for those that vied for political positions but were unable to get the party’s tickets.
“We have to forgive ourselves for any shortcoming that might have occurred and work together for the greater good. Let us, in unison, vote for Hon. Rotimi Abiru, Hon. Rotimi Olowo, Hon. Ademorin Kuye and me.
“We are all aware of the number of those that aspired for the Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and Governorship seats before the party picked her flag bearers. It is not that they failed and we are winners but the fact remains that the party has made its decision and we can only get them compensation through our votes.
“If we are able to record massive votes in the forthcoming elections, I assure you that I will bring more benefits to my people in Lagos East Senatorial District.
“We need our votes to bargain for better things in our areas and we must ensure that our people troop out to vote in Kosofe, Somolu, Ikorodu and Epe, so that I can have good war chest to bargain with.
“I need our mothers to ensure that our people cast their votes for APC candidates on the day of the elections. We need the support of the youths and elderly people to give us massive votes so that we can use our voting strength to bargain positions for our people that aspired but were unable to get the tickets.
“If we allowed Alimosho and Mushin to record more votes, we would not be able to get more than one commissionership position but if we have more votes, we can bargain for more”.
The ranking lawmaker also stated that the senatorial district deserves compensation for her inability to occupy the office of the governor of the state for eight years like the other two districts.
“The party must also compensate Lagos East because we are unable to use eight years as governor. It is our voting strength that the party would consider in compensating us”.
The lawmaker, who is popularly called ‘Peperito’, recalled his involvement in the struggle, with the winner of the annulled 1993 Presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola and others, to entrench democracy in Nigeria.
While stating that he has been in the forefront of the struggle, he added that it was the struggle for the revalidation of the annulled 1993 Presidential election that gave birth to progressive party in Nigeria.
“I’m saying all these for us to know that if there was no yesterday, there will not be today while tomorrow will be doubtful. You cannot jump, you have to wait for your time. You cannot put something on nothing.
“I’m saying all these to make you understand why I’m vying for the senatorial position.
“We started the struggle for revalidation of Abiola’s mandate after the annulment of the June 12 elections which led to our incarceration in different cells until we were moved to Jos. Abacha even sentenced us to death but here we are today.
“God says it was not yet my time to die. Eventually, I was released but MKO Abiola died in prison and Abacha also died. It pleases God to let those of us with little or no consequence out of jail alive but major actors were not that lucky.
“I’m saying all these for you to know that I have background in democratic struggle and that I’m not an opportunist. This is also to let you know that I am privileged to have been part of the struggle.
“There are always groupings in every organization but we must be fair to ourselves. At the advent of this democratic dispensation, those of us who were in the struggle came together and I had to follow our leader today, Asiwaju Tinubu.
“Although, Funsho Williams was a very nice person but he was never with us in the struggle. That made me support Tinubu and Pa Adesanya supported us because he believed that those of us that fought during the struggle deserved recognition during the advent of democracy.
“We laid the foundation of progressive party in Yorubland in the current dispensation about twenty years ago. The opposition succeeded in taken other states but we hold firm to Lagos.
“We used Lagos State to retrieve other Western states and later Nigeria and we are still holding forth till today”.
He appealed to the populace to give their support to APC.
“What we are doing now is to protect the house that we built. It is not possible for us to lay a foundation and allow somebody else that did not know about it to build on it.
“Those of us that toiled and sweat for the foundation of progressive democracy must be ready to build on it and give our people good governance. This is the reason you must vote for a progressive party.
“Lagosians do not support any other party except a progressive one. If PDP contest elections 1000 times in Lagos, we are going to defeat them but we need you people to continue to give us maximum support because without you, there is nothing we can do.
“We are begging you to support us and vote massively for all our party’s candidates in the forthcoming elections”.
Hon. Osinowo also appealed to those who are still aggrieved within the party to accept the decision of the party and work for its victory in the forthcoming general elections.
Also speaking, Primate Charles Odugbesi, the Director-General of Hon. Bayo Osinowo Campaign, called for support for the senatorial candidate and all other APC candidates.
