Senator Adesoji Akanbi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and member of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, wrote to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to thank him for supporting the return of the presidency from the North to the South. In a letter titled “Congratulations on Your Re‑Election,” which our correspondent obtained on Monday, the former 8th National Assembly member praised Makinde’s “Omoluabi” virtue for backing a southern candidate.
Makinde is one of the five aggrieved state governors in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, popularly known as the G‑5, who have insisted on a power shift to the South after the two‑term, eight‑year tenure of President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), a northerner. The G‑5 governors opposed the candidacy of the PDP’s presidential candidate, former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar, also from the North, and vowed to work for a southern candidate. While they refrained from openly declaring an alliance with the APC and its candidate, Bola Tinubu, they were reported to have covertly supported the former Lagos State governor’s victory.
The APC won the presidential election in Oyo and secured National Assembly seats in the states governed by the G‑5, including Oyo. Meanwhile, PDP candidates won the governorship and House of Assembly elections held on Saturday in those states. In a veiled reference to this alleged alliance, Akanbi’s letter hailed Makinde for his “display of unusual bravery.”
The letter read in part:
“Please accept my heartiest congratulations on your success at the Oyo State governorship election held on Saturday, 18 March 2023, and the renewal of your mandate to govern our beautiful state for another four years. I also celebrate with you the successful completion of the 2023 electioneering process in Oyo State. I am particularly excited that the people of Oyo, under your leadership, have shown their commitment to growing our democracy and building a country where leaders are elected without violence.
As one of the founders of the South West Agenda (SWAGA) and the initiator of the Coalition Movement for Bola Ahmed Tinubu (COMBAT), the leading campaign mechanism for President‑elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I must also commend your display of unusual bravery in standing by your conviction that the presidency of our dear country should return to the South. Indeed, your display of true Omoluabi virtues at the risk of your own re‑election will be remembered on the good side of history.
On this note, I say that the support you have enjoyed at the polls is fair and well‑deserved. Now that the people have spoken and we have heard them loud and clear, we are again reminded of the needs of the people and our place as leaders. I implore you to remain steadfast and committed to fulfilling your promises to further develop Oyo State and improve the lives of our people.”
Comments are closed for this story.