LG polls: Abiodun warns APC candidates against empty promises

Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta

The Ogun State Governor, Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun, has issued a stern warning to all the chairmanship and councillorship candidates under the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against making frivolous promises to the electorates.

The governor made the call at a meeting with the party’s 20 chairmanship and 236 councillorship candidates at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, on Wednesday.

Abiodun admonished them to stand by their promises and work towards leaving a legacy in their various local government areas.

Explaining that the meeting was held to officially flag off the LG election campaign, the Governor disclosed that the party went through tough time in choosing its representatives for the polls.

He added that special precaution was taken to ensure rancour-free primaries so as not to tear the party apart.

“Do not make promises you can not fulfill. Be characterised as that administration, that chairmen and councillors who fulfil their promises.

“Our people do not ask for too much. What they ask for is, when you make a promise, make sure you fulfill it,” Abiodun stated.

He disclosed that his decision not to be involved in picking the candidates was to ensure that all stakeholders in the party have their inputs on who emerges the party’s flag bearers in the local government election.

The governor advised the party candidates to tap from the experience of the Local Government Transitional Chairmen, who according to him have performed excellently well in the last 20 months.

“I have received good reports from the people about their  performances. They have carried out repairs of schools, primary healthcare centres and embarked on electrification projects,” Abiodun noted.

He pointed out that the feats recorded by the Transitional Chairmen was as a result of his promise to empower the local government administration to discharge their responsibilities in line with the constitutional provision, charging them to keep the good work till the end of their tenure.

Abiodun noted that APC in the state has become bigger, saying “this was made possible by our administration’s hard, methodical and deliberate work as well as participatory and inclusive posture which attracted others to our party.

“I can tell you that all members of our House of Assembly are in our party. Almost all the past governors, deputy governors in the State are with us. This is not by accident. It is the result of inclusiveness that made people from other parties to join us,” he said.

While urging the party flag bearers to key into the vision and programmes of the state  government and be ready to reach out to those who contested with them, Abiodun advised that the race should not be a winner takes all affair.

“Work with them as they remain a vital part to your victory,” he said.

The governor described his administration’s achievements in the last two years as unprecedented, saying “governance in the state has been redefined by fulfilling promises and ensuring that no section of the  state has development to the detriment of others.”

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Party, Yemi Sanusi, while congratulating the chairmanship candidates, noted that the meeting was to interface with all the candidates and fashion out winning ways in the coming local government election.

Speaking on behalf of the Chairmen of the Local Government Transitional Committee, Semiu Lawal, thanked the governor for the opportunity given them to serve the people, while submitting that  the Committees had executed more than 200 projects in the last 20 months.

He expressed the readiness of the transition committee chairmen to work with the party’s candidates to ensure victory at the LG polls.