The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Sen. Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday said that the Peoples Democratic Party would not record any win in the forthcoming council polls in Lagos State.
Tinubu, a former governor of the state, said this while addressing hundreds of party faithful at the Lagos State APC Stakeholders’ meeting at the party secretariat at Acme Road, Ikeja.
The stakeholders’ forum was held in preparation for the July 22 council polls. Tinubu regretted the loss of some national and state legislative seats to the PDP in the 2015 general elections.
“2015 election was the greatest battle of our time. In the last election, we lost more than three LGAs to our opponents, which is very unusual.
“We have asked our leaders in those local governments to examine what went wrong and work together to chart a new course to ensure the APC wins back those councils.
“PDP cannot have any share in these council elections,” Tinubu said.
The national leader commended party faithful for their support to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration, saying that the governor had not disappointed the party and the people.
“We are grateful to you the people for your great support during the 2015 election. We have continued to hold Lagos in spite of strong opposition.
“Gov. Ambode has not let us down; he is doing a fantastic job in an environment where we have the economic challenges. He is doing it and he is doing very very well.
“He has a very good team. He is doing a great job and we are very proud of that,” he said.
Tinubu urged party leaders at the grassroots to shun bribery and favouritism, adding that quality leadership and merit should be upheld.
“Our leaders should be fair to the people at the grassroots; we cannot please all, but we can satisfy the majority. This politics is give and take, compromise.’’
According to him, the party will not use any of the current sole administrators in the forthcoming council poll.
“To appease some people, we asked the government to allow the Executive Secretaries to take over after the tenure of last council chairmen expired, instead of civil servants.
“That was why executive secretaries were chosen to pave way for politicians.
“When the term expired, we used sole administrators, but before we used them, we warned them that `when the elective position comes, you are not entitled to contest’.
“We agreed that time, we cannot change it overnight; executive secretaries, however, can contest.”
Tinubu, however, said 19 former council chairmen, except for one of them who is late, who only served single terms, would be given another chance in the coming elections.
He urged the party leaders to give consideration to youths and women in the sharing of positions. The party leader also urged Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State to increase security presence in Surulere area of the state to check violence.
According to him, his attention was drawn to some violence in the area, which gave cause for concern.
“I urge the people of Surulere to be patient and peaceful. We will all benefit from the party,” he said.
Also speaking, Ambode urged all stakeholders to work together to ensure APC victory in all the 57 councils.
Ambode said: “We are meeting on a very happy note. I am able to look back and say that that confidence you reposed in me to defeat the PDP candidate was not in vain.
“This coming local government election is all in your hands. My call to all members of our great party is to ensure that all the 57 councils are won by APC. We have begun a journey to make Lagos and Nigeria progressive’’.
Earlier in his opening remark, Mr Henry Ajomale, the Chairman, Lagos APC, said that the forum was organised to allow party faithful to interact with the leaders of the party.
Ajomale said that meeting was aimed at moving the party forward ahead of the forthcoming council polls. Hundreds of party faithful and leaders across the 20 local government areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas were in attendance.
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