Kunle Adelabu
Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State have said that the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming Senatorial bye – election in the Lagos East District, Mr Adetokunbo Abiru, is a better candidate compare to that of the major opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
They spoke at an interactive session with the media at the weekend in Ikorodu.
The State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Seye Oladejo, while addressing Editors of Community Media across the Lagos East Senatorial District, described the APC candidate as a man with unequalled pedigree that cannot be matched by the opposition.
“The major selling point of our candidate is that we are presenting somebody with pedigree and that cannot be faulted by the opposition”, he said.
“We have a candidate who has attained the pinnacle of his chosen career and make no mistake about it, he has enormous influence as a result of that national network which transcend banking industry and national politics”, Oladejo added.
“It also extends to people who have been in the National Assembly since 1999. We are going to leverage on that.
“We have a candidate who can compete on the national pedestal and who will be able to champion those causes that are peculiar to the Lagos East Senatorial District and not a greenhorn in governance”.
He said that Abiru has proven himself as an unusual politician with track records in private and public sectors without scandal.
“For somebody to have the effrontery to walk away from being the Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State to go back to his career to the peak of it, it shows determination, focus and commitment.
“We also know that we have a candidate who is not carrying any scandal, corporate, social or otherwise”.
Hon. Olusegun Olulade, Director – General of the Adetokunbo Abiru Campaign and former two – term member, Lagos State House of Assembly, also said that the APC candidate has the required qualities to operate and deliver.
“Our candidate has qualities that are expected of a legislator to perform creditably well. He is accountable, credible and transparent.
“When you look at him, you will see professionalism and someone whose pedigree cannot be matched by the PDP’s candidate”.
Olulade, while stating that PDP was already jittery when the party made statement that APC should have used the CBN Governor as its candidate, said that the opposition candidate does not know anything about governance.
“We don’t need anybody who speaks anyhow to represent us. We don’t need a lawless person; and someone who want to be a law breaker rather than being a lawmaker”.
The popular politician also stated that their focus will be to promote Abiru as the APC candidate and not give attention to the opposition.
Former acting Commissioner for Tourism and Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Arts and Culture, Hon. Adebimpe Akinsola, in her own reaction, described the APC candidate as a thorough professional who has been well accepted within the political space.
Akinsola, who is also a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, also told THE IMPACT that the party is offering a better candidate to represent Lagos compared to what the opposition is presenting.
In his own remarks, Builder Olusesan Daini, the Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA and Director of Media and Publicity of the Abiru Campaign, said that his party candidate will put his experience gathered from private and public sectors into making good policies that will positively affect the people.
“Abiru will use his wealth of experience and contacts to make policies that will positively affect people’s lives”, he said.
He also said that budgetary and financial management will not be new to Abiru who, according to him, has been a banker of several years standing and responsible for the revival of Skye Bank.
“We have a good and sellable product and somebody that will give us quality representation in the National Assembly.
“We have somebody that has been silently supporting thousands of families with palliatives during the pandemic period and not somebody that has been clubbing and committing crimes and the government had to overlook and not convict him”.
Mr Opeyemi Agbaje, a Banker and friend of Abiru, described the APC candidate as diligent and someone with strong human relations.
“I knew Tokunbo Abiru to be very diligent when given a task. I am not surprised with what he did at Skye Bank at all because one of his strengths is organized thinking, planning and execution. He is superb”, he said.
“Those are the things that accounted for the career that you have seen.
“He is a very strong human being. He is a very good reader of people and strong in human relations”, Agbaje added.
