The 2024 governorship aspiration of the immediate past Commissioner for Finance, Mr Wale Akinterinwa got a boost as youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across wards in Ileoluji/Okeigbo local government area of Ondo State converged on Okeigbo town on Sunday to endorse and declare support for him.
More so, the APC youth leaders passed a Vote of Confidence on the lawmaker representing Odigbo/ Ileoluji/Okeigbo federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Festus Adefiranye, warning impostors from organizing fake protest against him in the area.
They took the two major decisions at the weekly meeting of the youths leaders and assistants youth leaders from all the wards in the local government area, which was attended Hon. Adefiranye.
The youths leaders also who took their turn to speak in support of Akinterinwa and Adefiranye, alerted the public of a unholy plot by some fake youth leaders to stage a protest or to demand the recall of the federal lawmaker because of the recent political development in the state especially being one of the five House of Reps members who wrote an open letter to President Bola Tinubu on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The youths leaders spoke thus;
“My name is Akindamile Idowu, am the Youth Leader of Ward 1, Ileoluji/Okeigbo APC. Okeigbo people are having their general meeting today that is why we are here to join them Because we are together.
“Come April, Ileoluji/Okeigbo is for Wale Akinterinwa because he’s our leader, and he’s contesting (governorship election), all of us are supporting him, there is no other candidate that we can support rather than Hon. Wale Akinterinwa. For all the 10 ward Youth leaders in Ileoluji/Okeigbo, we also had a meeting last Monday during our meeting we concluded that we are supporting Hon. Wale Akinterinwa.”
Ajulo Kolawole Ward 2 Youth Leader, Ileoluji/Okeigbo, “as you can see we have a larger house for Wale Akinterinwa for Governor, and on no account should any Aspirant come here and say he/she has Ileoluji/Okeigbo at hand. We believe in Wale Akinterinwa, as the next Governor of Ondo State.”
Lukman Olugoje, Ward 3 Youth Leader, Ileoluji/Okeigbo: “all the Youth Leaders in the 10wards are for Wale Akinterinwa, we are here to show him our support.
Akinjide Ojo, Ward 4 Youth Leader; “he (Akinterinwa) is our leader and we are working for him I am supporting him because he is my leader.
My name is Ajinisinmi Rotimi, the Youth Leader for Ward 5; “Wale Akinterinwa is our leader, we are supporting him because he is our leader, and Wale Akinterinwa is well-known to everybody. He is a grassroots politician, and we believe in him that he will deliver the dividend of the meeting we are having here today is just democracy for us.
Abiodun Taofeeq, Ondo South Senatorial Youth Leader APC, “the meeting we are having here today is just for all the 10 Wards Youth Leaders in Ileoluji/Okeigbo Local Government together with the Local Government Youth Leader to kick against a proposed protest against our MHR, Hon. Festus Adefiranye.
“Our people love him and he (Adefiranye) is doing very well for us, how can a set of fake youths just stand up, all in the name of APC youths, they are cloned human beings we don’t recognize them, the only recognized APC youth leaders are here, and are duly elected by the congress of the party and these are the 10 Wards Youth Leaders, and we are going to sign a letter and we are directing it to the state Commissioner of Police, the DPO Ileoluji/Okeigbo, DPO Bankemo, Ijegun-in-Council, the Oloke-in-Council and that any protest scheduled for Tuesday is null and void.
“The APC Youth Leaders in Ileoluji/Okeigbo who are the Chairman, am I the number one custodian of youth I am not a party to it (protest) and none of my executives are party to it. The Local Government Youth Leader is not a party to it, so any protest in our local government is null and void.
Aderibigbe Tokunbo, Youth Leader Ward 6; “We are following Wale Akinterinwa because he loves the Youths, he loves everybody. He has been helping people who need help.
Olasesin Omotayo, Ward 7 Youth Leader in Ileoluji/Okeigbo; “We are for a meeting because we are hearing some rumors but our MHR is still our leader here. No leader is against our MHR here.
Segun Ojo, Youth Leader Ward 8, Ileoluji/Okeigbo; “Wale is a good man when we didn’t know him, we heard about him, and now we know him, he is a good man, we want all youths in the state to support Wale Akinterinwa because if he emerges, he will be of help. I advise our youths to refrain from thuggery during the election.
Oladeji Taiwo, Youth Leader Ward 9 Ileoluji/Okeigbo APC, “Wale Akinterinwa is a good leader to me, around 2022 when I was preparing for my wedding, Akinterinwa gave me support and likewise gave me good money used for my wedding. I totally support him with everything. He’s our incoming Governor.”
Gbadebo Abayomi, Public Relations Officer Ward 10, Ileoluji/Okeigbo; “When we heard that he is running for the post of Governor, we are happy we appreciate it he is a good father to us. because he has been supporting us very well. We have resolved to follow him.”
Adeleke Taofiq Youth Leader Ward 10; “Wale Akinterinwa has really tried for our MHR, we stood for Adefiranye. He tried for him. If not for him, we won’t have a Representative. We will work for Akinterinwa.
Wole Faniyi, the Secretary of APC in Ileoluji/Okeigbo Local Government; The meeting was an emergency meeting called by our MHR. The meeting was successful. Wale Akinterinwa is our leader in Ileoluji/Okeigbo and he is the the closest gubernatorial aspirant to us as far as this local government is concerned.
While appreciating the APC youth leaders in his area, Hon. Festus Adefiranye said he would continue to defend interest of his people politically and economically.
Adefiranye said “this is APC meeting, we used to have our meeting on weekly basis when election is coming like this, so that we would be able to give our members information, most especially anytime I come from Abuja, I used to give report of what is happening, what I have done, what I am still going to do and what is happening in Nigeria.
“As I have said what has happened in Abuja, the letter we wrote, that has gone viral, we have a targeted audience, our audience has read and listened to us, we have submitted our letter.
“Fantastic leader, by the grace of God I know there is nothing God cannot do, Honorable Wale Akinterinwa is aspiring to be the governor of Ondo State which I believe by the grace of God, God will give it to him, he is a fantastic leader, he is a leader you can trust, he is a leader that understand the politics of Ondo State, I have been in politics since the time of AD, I believe he has the experience, I know his experience would count for him.
“My Message to the party leaders in Ondo State is that APC is one, we do not need to involve ourselves in any crisis, it’s one position, all of us should work together to ensure that our party succeed, there is nothing we would gain in rancour, I want to advise our leaders let us work together, if we have different candidates, let us campaign for them without any rancour, by the grace of God our party would succeed.
“Our members in Ile-Oluji Okeigbo and Odigbo federal Constituency because I am representing the federal Constituency, our advice is that they should continue to work for the party and they should know that the period is short, after April, we would all come together to work for our party by November, I want to encourage them to be loyal to the party structure because there is nothing we can do without the party structure,” Adefiranye said.
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