Tinubu At 59: We’re Ready For PDP In Lagos

Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu celebrated his 59th birthday on Tuesday at the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN rally, vowing that the party was ready for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead Saturday’s National Assembly election.

Tinubu spoke when he cut his 59th birthday cake at the rally, with his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, Governor Babatunde Fashola, stalwarts of the ACN and thousands of party faithful in attendant.

Tinubu said there was no way the ACN would not win by landslide in Lagos, saying that the PDP was fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the margin would not be much by instigating violence across the state.

According to him, the ACN is battle-ready for the PDP in Lagos and would ensure that the party sweeps the House of Assembly, National Assembly, Governorship and the Presidential elections in Lagos.

Tinubu, however, lashed out at President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that he lacked the wherewithal to deliver electricity to the people, saying he had failed woefully, warning that the ACN would not tolerate rigging at the forthcoming polls.

Tinubu stated that the president had met with tragedy everywhere he went to campaign for his re-election as as PDP supporters died at the rallies adding that Jonathan had been using flimsy treason offence to silence political opponents.

The former governor called on Lagosians to vote massively for Fashola at the forthcoming polls as he had delivered the dividends of democracy to them in the last four years.

Tinubu lamented that some people who spoke objectively against the president were being haunted with flimsy excuse that they had committed treason, while he asked the crowd: “do you want a president that will not allow freedom of speech?”

He insisted that Jonathan was acting out the script written by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, saying that the duo were siamese twins that could never be separated.

Meanwhile, Governor Babatunde Fashola marked his 1, 400 days in office yesterday, saying that he had delivered on his electoral promises and called on Lagosians to vote massively for him to win the forthcoming poll.

Thousands of government officials gathered at the Onikan Stadium, venue of his last 1,400 days in office, while each ministry, parastatal and agencies took turns to partake in the march past.

The governor therefore cited the signing of the 2011 appropriation law to give effect to the budget, which he said, “will consolidate the gains our administration has made. We have set about the implementation of that budget in our usual methodical and efficient manner to bring forth its impactful benefits.”

Fashola also reeled out his achievements in the last 100 days, saying that two mini-water works were commissioned to produce over four million gallons of water for the residents of Badore, Ikorudu and Ifako-Ijaye.

He added that his administration has just engaged 507 university graduates to teach secondary students in such basic subjects as English, Mathematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry, saying that the newly recruited teachers had undergone special innovative conversion course to give requisite teaching skills in their chosen subjects.

According to him, the Igbo-Elerin road “has been completed and open to traffic, while progress is being made on the roads in Idimu, Egbeda, Igando and Ipaja areas as well as the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, light rail project where the construction of the pillars and the first stations at Orile and Mile 2 are currently being carried out.”

However, Fashola called on residents of Lagos to resist all strategies and plans of some political jobbers to take control of the state through electoral fraud, while urging Lagos residents to preserve their patrimony from the forces which he said, had no record of accomplishment.

The governor said the last 1,400 days had been devoted to promoting social and economic welfare of Lagos residents and corporate interest in the state as well, stressing that they should vote wisely as their votes “remain the safest weapon” to ensure that more roads are constructed; more drainages built; and better health care services provided.

“We should protect and preserve our common patrimony from the forces of poverty merchants, who purvey destruction at every station they have been unfortunately trusted with public offices.

“That plague of poverty, destruction and depletion must never be visited on Lagos State,” Fashola said, calling all the residents of the state to go out massively and vote for ACN.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga