As Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, took the oath of office on Thursday as governor of the state for the second time, All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders of the party and both serving and non serving governors extolled his virtue of pragmatism in the political development of the state and Nigeria at large.
Also, Aregbesola stated that in 2015, “Nigerians are going to say enough is enough to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the APC would defeat the PDP because it is beatable.”
The oath of office was administered by the Chief Judge of state, Justice Adepele Ojo, who equally performed the same ritual for the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye.
Aregbesola defeated the PDP candidate in the August 9 governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
According to him, “the God that helped us to beat them (PDP) in the state, will also beat them for us in the national election. Do not be afraid, do not be hopeless. Victory is at hand.”
Aregbesola who promised more development in the state stressed that “what we need now are God-fearing and incorruptible leaders who would galvanise our people and judiciously manage our resources to overcome our challenges.
“We must terminate the regime of self-seeking manipulators which currently parade the corridors of power, accruing political profit by turning us against one another and further dividing us along ethnic and religious lines.”
The governor opined that the result of PDP politics of division is that Nigerians are poorer in the last 16 years, whereas Nigeria as a country has never been richer, save for recent months when oil price has declined.
“This manifests again in their continued lawlessness evidenced in the desecration of the National Assembly and the travesty at Ekiti State House of Assembly,” he said.
Aregbesola also noted that the PDP had demonstrated without doubt, its inability to protect Nigerians and the territorial integrity of the country, saying Nigerians must therefore be determined to vote out the party which he said had brought the country to this state and show the party the way out.
He said: “Our party, the APC, promises prosperity, national unity and integration, security of lives and property, job and wealth creation, rule of law and constitutionalism and deepening democracy,” nothing that all these have been showcased “in all the states where our party holds sway-Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti (until recently), Edo, Imo, Rivers, Kwara, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Borno and Yobe.”
Also, leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, has charged the people of Osun State to arm themselves with whatever they have to defend the 2015 general election and liberate themselves from the PDP-led government.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, Tinubu charged the people on what he described as ‘Common Sense Revolution’, saying the people should stand firm to defend their votes in 2015 as they did in Osun State.
He lambasted the crisis in the oil industry, suggesting that it is time to go back to our local produce like banana, cocoyam and cocoa.”
Tinubu, who lauded the people of the state for standing firm to defend their votes despite the presence of armed security men, assured them that APC will reclaim their mandate in Ekiti State.
“I want to charge you to buy rings, amulet and whatever you have in your capability to defend the 2015 election as you did in Osun State.
“I salute your steadfastness to make over 30,000 armed policemen shameful. I want to assure you that what they stole from us in Ekiti State will be reclaimed,” he stated.
Also in his remarks, former interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, described the coming back of Aregbesola as the opportunity for the applicants and unemployed, saying: “Full employment for the youths is the next in the agenda of the governor.”
The ceremony had in attendance former governors, chieftains of the party presidential aspirant under the platform of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), among others.
