Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, stood still for several hours
on Monday as party faithful, interest groups and members of the public
welcomed the newly registered mega party, the All Progressives
Congress.
The flag of the new party was launched and hoisted amidst pomp and
pageantry with the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, calling on Nigerians
to embrace the APC, which he said was put together to rescue Nigerians
from bad governance, brigandage and systemic failure the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party represents.
Fayemi lowered the flag of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria and
hoisted that of the APC at the Governor’s Office and later at the
headquarters of his campaign office in Ado-Ekiti.
The state Chairman of the APC, Chief Olajide Awe, performed the same
ritual at the state secretariat of the party at Ajilosun area of
Ado-Ekiti, shortly after Fayemi arrived from his office to the warm
embrace of enthusiastic party members.
The governor was joined by his deputy, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; the
Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin; and other
government functionaries and party chieftains to welcome the new
party.
The launch of the APC in Ekiti State was turned into a huge carnival
as party members and members of the public, who waved the broom, the
symbol of the party, danced round the major streets of the state.
The road show commenced shortly after Fayemi had hoisted the APC flag
at the Governor’s Office with a big procession of party leaders,
government officials and party faithful from all the 16 local
government areas of the state moving to the party secretariat.
Taxi drivers, commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators decorated
their vehicles and bikes with the glossy posters of the new party.
They sang the praises of Fayemi, who they acknowledged as a performer
and transformer of Ekiti to a state that has become the envy of other
states in Nigeria, with the little available resources.
Addressing a cheering crowd at his campaign headquarters before
hoisting the APC flag, Fayemi described the birth of the new mega
party as historic.
He said: “History always starts in small bits and never comes in a big bang.”
He traced the origin of the APC to the political activities of the
late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who criss-crossed the length and
breadth of Nigeria spreading the gospel of progressivism and extending
what the Yoruba had enjoyed to other parts of the country.
The governor advised Nigerians to embrace the APC, which he described
as a party that is poised to effect a positive change in the polity.
He said the PDP had disappointed Nigerians and failed to justify its
14-year hold on power at the centre.
He noted that the PDP was afraid of change hence its employment of
various tricks in the book to prevent the registration of the APC
before the new party was eventually registered by the Independent
National Electoral Commission.
The governor said Nigerians are ready to reject the PDP at the next
general election because the ruling party, which controls government
at the federal level, has failed to provide electricity for Nigerians
in the last 14 years and has superintended over the collapse of public
infrastructures.
He expressed dismay that under the watch of the PDP, funds meant for
the good of all Nigerians are being diverted into private pockets
while official corruption is on the increase because the party does
not believe in probity, accountability and transparency.
Fayemi maintained that it is only the states under the control of the
APC that are enjoying good governance and dividends of democracy like
free education, free health services, solid infrastructure,
transparency in governance, among others.
Calling on the people of Ekiti State to reject the PDP, Fayemi said
the recent crisis and violence unleashed by members of the party over
the process to select its candidate has shown that the PDP has nothing
to offer the people of the state
He explained that resort to machetes and other dangerous weapons by
the Ekiti PDP governorship aspirants and their supporters in the
build-up to the emergence of their flag bearer was an indication that
the party does not believe in true democracy.
Refuting the claims of some PDP chieftains that there is no difference
between their party and the APC, Fayemi insisted that the APC was
packaged to bring succour, progress, freedom, justice and development
Nigerians have been yearning for since the nation’s return to civil
rule in 1999.
Fayemi said: “They are saying that we are the same and if we are the
same, why are they scared?
“Why were they trying to block the emergence of the APC?
“Why the hand of Esau, the voice of Jacob?
“The people they are using to block our emergence are issuing press
releases from the PDP secretariat.
“We know those who paid their lawyers to file cases against the
emergence of our party.
“There is difference between the wheat and the chaff and you don’t
plant an orange tree and expect to reap pears.
“I want to urge all our leaders and members to go back home and work
hard to win more members into our party.
“This is Awolowo’s party, Afenifere’s party and party for the progressives.
“I want to tell all our leaders and members that this is a party that
belongs to all.
“There is no senior member and there is no junior member because
everybody is equal.
“What will earn you leadership is the number of members you bring to
the party and we must ensure that this party is rooted in our
communities.
“We are not going to discriminate against anybody, including those in
the party of the locust, who have realized that they are on the road
to perdition.
“We will welcome them into this new party, which is on the road that
leads to salvation.
“Those that are still left in the party of the greedy are invited into
our party because we are going to reform them and make them to embrace
the ideals of the progressive party.”
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