The leadership of the Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE, has thrown its weight in support of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging Nigerians particularly the Yoruba sect to cast their votes for him in the 2023 election.
The council warned Yoruba people not to allow the repeat of 1963 First Republic election saga, where about 40 per cent of Yoruba voters were allegedly misled to NCNC to support late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and later ran back to Chief Obafemi Awolowo to seek for forgiveness after his emergence.
In a statement by its National Treasurer, Aremu Akindele, the YCE lauded Awolowo for introducing free education, free health services for the poor, adding that Tinubu would also repeat Awolowo’s giant strides through monumental development that has never been witnessed in any part of Nigeria, if elected.
He said: “Pa Fasoranti and Prof. Akintoye have spoken well, and YCE aligns with the two elders statements.”
Akindele said that that Yoruba nation cannot be misled again in 2023 because Nigerians need a leader like Tinubu who can lead the nation to the Promised Land, adding that the leadership qualities Tinubu has been exhibiting since 1999 cannot be over praised.
According to him, Tinubu’s legacy speaks volume in terms of human development by bringing people from bottom to the peak of their lives, and picking talents from different ethnicities.
Tinubu’ll win 95% of S-West votes —Mutiu Are
The YCE spoke as the Director for Contact and Mobilization Committee of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, South West, Alhaji Mutiu Are, expressed the determination of his committee to mobilize and deliver a minimum of 95 percent of the votes in Yoruba land to Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima in the 2023 election.
Speaking at the inauguration of members of the committee in Ibadan, Alhaji Are disclosed that the committee had already commenced the implementation of a “robust” strategy to reach every nook and cranny of the region up to the smallest cells of villages and hamlets to win support and votes for Tinubu
The APC PCC member said, to the delight of members of his committee that the executives swung into action immediately they were sworn in on Friday with visits to critical political leaders in Oyo State who he said had given them a 100 percent assurance of total support to the Asiwaju/Shettima candidacy.
He said: “Asiwaju laid the foundation for the exponential development of Lagos State and the success that is Lagos today. He revolutionalised IGR in Lagos State, created infrastructure and institutions; and established additional councils that are centres of development today. Vice Presidential candidate Shettima ran Borno credibly even when the state was challenged by the Boko Haram insurgency. He battled Boko Haram and yet delivered dividends of democracy to the people. They are highly esteemed men.”
