Kunle Adelabu
The Ayangbure of Ikorodu, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adewale Kabir Shotobi has once again called on the National leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to declare for the 2023 Presidential race.
The royal father said that the Ijebu Obas in Lagos,under his leadership, and entire Obas in Lagos State Council of Obas & Chiefs had already adopted Tinubu’s candidature for the plum position despite that he is yet to declare his intention to contest.
Oba Shotobi made the call during the visit of members of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA), Lagos chapter, to the Ayangbure palace on Wednesday, September 29, 2021.
The group was led by its state chairman, Primate Charles Odugbesi and Mr Bayo Osiyemi, the Special Adviser to the governor on Chieftaincy Matters.
“Asiwaju Tinubu is not only with Obas and traditional chiefs, he’s also very close to us”, Ayangbure said.
“He’s also the ‘Baba Oba’ (honorary King’s father of Ikorodu) and his presence in Ikorodu Kingdom has great impact.
“We did not wait for others to bring him to us since the issue of the 2023 Presidency started. Rather, we, the Ijebu Obas in Lagos, had earlier this year adopted him as our candidate and urged him to contest for the position.
“I am also telling you that all the Obas in Lagos at our last retreat also adopted him as the next President.
“We have seen and known before you that he is the best candidate for President come 2023.
“We will continue to pray for you (SWAGA members) as you have embarked on the journey to propagate him (Asiwaju) in your campaign so that he can be successful.
“We have been praying for him and we shall continue to pray for him to attain the position as the President of Nigeria.
“I am sure that he will be victorious if he accept to run.
The Ayangbure of Ikorodu, therefore, charged everybody in the South West to support Tinubu in the race for the next President.
“We all need to rally round and support Tinubu to be the next President because he is the best candidate available.
“Nigeria is blessed with human and natural resources but we have leadership problems, that’s why we need Tinubu as the next President”, Oba Shotobi said.
He also urged people to get their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) which he said they will need to make electoral decision in 2023.
He commended SWAGA for honouring him by starting the campaign visitation to palaces in Lagos State from Ikorodu.
“‘I am happy that SWAGA is starting the campaign in Ikorodu. I appreciate the honour.
“Ikorodu is solidly behind Tinubu”, he assured the group.
Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, the Vice Chairman, APC Lagos East Senatorial District, speaking at the event, said that the country had missed two good opportunities that could have turned the situation of the country around for good.
He urged that Tinubu should be supported so as not to miss the third opportunity.
“Nigeria had missed two opportunities that could have changed the story of the country for good. The first opportunity was with Awolowo. That was the person that brought television to Africa and also impacted infrastructurally, but the in – fighting among the Yorubas prevented his emergence as President”, he recalled.
“The second time was when Chief MKO Abiola was dubiously denied the opportunity of becoming the President despite winning the election and having the resources and connections. It was the Yorubas that also prevented that.
“This is the third time, we should rally round and support Tinubu.
Chairman, Ikorodu – Oga Development Association (IKODASS), Mr Rotimi Erogbogbo stated that the South Western part of the country must ensure that a competent person is supported for the position.
“It is the turn of the South West and we must ensure that we support somebody that is capable.
“I was in the local government service when Tinubu used his intellect to safe Lagos”, Erogbogbo recalled.
“He has built lots of foot soldiers all over the country. He’s builder of men and resources.
Alhaji Monzor Olowoshago, the Publisher of the Oriwu Newspaper, also speaking said:
“Asiwaju Tinubu is intelligent and the only one that can administer Nigeria”.
Otunba Olasunkanmi Tijani, APC Chairman in lkorodu division, said that Tinubu had shown that he can handled Nigeria with the way he managed Lagos State when he was the governor.
“Tinubu is a well known figure to everyone of us and he needs no introduction.
“It is only if Nigerians do not want change that they will reject Tinubu as the next President.
“He has shown that he can manage Nigeria with the way he handled the environment where I played a key role, internally generated revenue and other aspects of the State”, he said.
“If elected, he will block leakages in the federation’s revenue generation and improves on it the same way he did in Lagos.
“What the SWAGA is doing is commendable and Tinubu is a round peg in a round hole”, Otunba Tijani said.
Speaking earlier, Primate Charles Odugbesi, SWAGA Chairman, Lagos State, described President Buhari as the John the Baptist and Tinubu as the much awaited messiah that will safe Nigeria from economic, political, social and other problems.
He said that SWAGA came into being when leaders in the South West met and agreed that the region must produce the next President which must be Tinubu.
“This group, SWAGA, came into being after leaders in the South West met and declared that the next President must come from the South West. In addition, it was agreed that the President must be Tinubu”, he said.
“He’s yet to announce that he will run, but we have started campaigning for him and we are sure that he will eventually accept to run.
“Some of us knew since that President Buhari is not the messiah. He’s just the John the Baptist sent to pave the way for Tinubu who is the messiah”, Primate Odugbesi said.
“It was Tinubu that brought Buhari out to contest and also helped him to win”.
He said that the former governor deserved to be the next President because of many people hd had developed.
“He had been able to develop many and some of us here are among those people. We want him as the next President so that he can use his intellect and capacity to develop Nigeria too.
The former APC Secretary in Lagos State said that Lagos will be the final place of the group’s campaign for Tinubu in the South West.
“We decided that Lagos should be the last point of call in the region that we shall be consulting with Obas and political leaders concerning our campaign for Tinubu as the next President.
“Though, today is not when we planned to come to Ikorodu, but we have to due to the request by the Kabiyesi who would have travelled by the time we would visit lkorodu as scheduled”.
Alhaji Olaofe, the group’s Director of Strategy informed the Ayangbure of Ikorodu and other guests that he group had toured the other five parts of the South West region of the country.
He said that SWAGA wwould be coming back to Ikorodu on Tuesday, October 5, to meet with other Obas and political leaders in the division.
Also at the palace during the visit were other chieftains of the SWAGA, Lagos chapter, APC chieftains in Ikorodu, Council Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, traditional chiefs and other dignitaries.
There was also a special traditional prayer session at the palace for Tinubu’s emergence as the next President of Nigeria
