Kunle Adelabu
Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, a Chieftain of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision – making body in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, has made public those that he want to support their reelection and election come 2023.
The revered politician made the revelation in alignment with hundreds of chieftains and members of his political group at a meeting which took place in his house in Igbogbo, Ikorodu division, on Friday, May 13, 2022.
Asiwaju Basorun, who was a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and former Commissioner for Education in the Second Republic, openly told his followers that his vote as a national delegate will be for the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the coming primary elections of the party on Sunday, May 22, 2019.
He also endorsed the re –election of Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu as Governor of Lagos State, Sen. Tokunbo Abiru as Senator representing Lagos East, Rep. Babajimi Benson as Member of the House of Representatives and Hon. Nurudeen Solaja as the representative of the Ikorodu Constituency II in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“I will start this meeting today from the point of those that are aspiring and those that I am supporting”, Asiwaju Basorun said.
“A lot has gone on with people saying a lot. I have not been attending meetings (that of his political group) that has been holding in my house until today and I decided to attend to make my position clear on the primary election coming up on the Sunday, May 22”, he added.
“If we have ten delegates (Asiwaju Basorun’s group), I want them to know where I want them to cast the group’s votes”, he announced.
“I am a national delegate and mine is for Bola Tinubu. I have some close aides that are state delegates who will not fail me and I have asked them to vote for Sanwo – Olu. Before, we were thinking that he is unopposed but two others are contesting with him – Wole Oluwo and one Olorunfemi Mustapha have come out.
“Let them go to the primary election, but all my state delegates certainly will vote for Sanwo – Olu”, he confirmed publicly.
“I have said to you before that Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, with his works, is outstanding and as a national delegate, I will cast my vote for him”, he said with responses of shout of approval from members present.
“For the Governorship, if you recalled the day that the Governor came and I was allowed to talk, it was at the place that I moved that we should allowed the Governor to go back for re – election one more time because of what he has been doing in our Division”.
He asked members of his group present at the meeting if they accepted his motion that Asiwaju Tinubu and Mr Sanwo – Olu should be elected as Presidential and Governorship candidates in the coming Primary elections, which they supported with ‘Yes’ chorus.
Speaking further in an interview on why he is supporting the re – election of the Governor, Asiwaju Basorun said:
“He has been constructing road that will open up Igbogbo, that is Bola Ahmed Tinubu road. He has also awarded contract for the construction of Bayeku road that has been given us headache”, the elder statesman said.
“He ordered those that will do it to start palliative and they must have started now.
“And then, the stadium which I started through the CDA in 1983 but which nobody touched until 2008/9 during the tenure of Prince Ademola Adele who was the Commissioner for Sports in the State. I went to visit him and I requested that he use his office to make the government construct the stadium after telling him the history behind it. He assured me that the stadium would be taking over same day by the governemnt. So,that was it. That was how the stadium got into the government’s record.
“In 2009, the place was fenced and when Sanwo- Olu came, he started the construction and there’s lots of f improvements on the construction works going on there.
“So, I am very proud that we started it about 40 years ago. It will be exactly 40 years next year. We thank God that we are making progress and I named myself, ‘Gbogbogbemiga’ (this town has raised)”, Asiwaju said.
While also endorsing Sen. Tokunbo Abiru with his group, the former Secretary to Lagos State Government said that his educational programme among others made him endorsed him for re – election.
“Today, I also want to present to you our Senator (Tokunbo Abiru). Of all his works that he has done, the particular one that I hold in great awe because since the day that we have been voting for people, none has ever done it before and that was the scholarship that he gave to 600 students in Lagos East”, he said.
“He gave N50, 000 each which amounted to about N30million and right inside the hall, beneficiaries started receiving the alert and they were announcing it. I pray that God will continue to assist him.
“I moved that he too should be returned as Senator”, he requested as the entire members of the group, again, chorused, ‘yes’.
He also commended Rep. Jimi Benson for reelection due to his representation, stating that he also deserved to be re – elected for the third term.
“On Jimi Benson, it was the day that he invited the Speaker (House of Representatives) when he commissioned five roads that he facilitated and I was given the opportunity to speak that I said that this our representative that has been giving us quality representation should be re – elected”.
In the same vein, Asiwaju Basorun asked the large congregation if they are in support of that and the crowd responded with a loud shout of “yes”.
Explaining reasons for supporting Hon. Nurudeen Solaja for third term, Basorun said:
“This is a dynamic society and trend has shown that we should look at it again, as if Asiwaju (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) and those of us in the GAC have come here, too, that we must a change.
“Then, we decided that anyone that wanted to go several times, should go and face the electorates and if they don’t want him, they will not vote for him. Party people are the delegates at the primary.
“They should all go and face the primary, we should not prevent anybody. That was the first reason that informed my support for Solaja.
“The second is that, we in the Constituency II have not got any position among the seven Principal Officers (in Lagos Assembly). We want him to be a Principal Officer, so that dividends of democracy will come.
“The third; they said that he has not performed. But I am aware that he has performed. There are occasions that he hired caterpillars to clear our bad roads.
“Recently, he constructed boreholes in all the wards. I went to inaugurate one.
“He has done empowerment programmes three times and that was why I wanted to do it (endorsement of Hon. Solaja), in front of the people because he gave me ten (slots) for people that collected N10,000 each.
“Also, when he was giving out sewing machines and other useful things, he also gave me ten slots and I again gave him names of people in this place.
On Solaja, a motion was moved and seconded with loud approval by members present just like others.
“The only remaining elective position is the Constituency I and I don’t have any voting power there and my decision is to leave it for the people in Constituency I.
Explaining the issue of delegates as related to Ikorodu, Asiwaju Basorun said.
“For the Assembly, there are about three categories of delegates. In the eight wards (in Ikorodu Constituency ii), there are 216 delegates, Councilors who are eight and statutory delegates. There is one LGA excos which is the one in Ikorodu and not six and when it was constituted, it was spread all over and our on Constituency (II) has 11 out of 27 delegates”, he said.
“The entire voting delegates in our Constituency are 242 and whosoever has 122 has won and the man that I just raised his hands up will get almost 200. So, we have no fear.”
Asiwaju Basorun was Lagos State Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party and was at a time National Publicity Secretary, Peoples Consensus Party, which Yardua formed in the 90s. He was also Board Chairman, Savannah Sugar and recently, was Board Member, National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
