12th December, 2014
Kayode Aponmade
Chief Mrs Dupe Onitiri-Abiola, wife of the late politician and business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, has emerged the Lagos State governorship standard bearer for the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, in the coming 2015 general elections.
She clinched the ticket as a consensus candidate on Thursday at the UPN congress/primary held at the party secretariat, Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, alongside other consensus candidates for Federal House of Representatives and State House of Assembly.
In her acceptance speech, Abiola declared that she is going to be the first female governor of Lagos State as she will succeed the incumbent Governor, Babatunde Fashola.
She said that her party, UPN, founded by the late Obafemi Awolowo and resuscitated by OPC leader, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, is prepared to take over as the ruling party in the state.
Dupe Abiola also claimed that Nigeria’s democracy is sitting on the blood of her late husband and other democrats killed during the June 12, 1993 struggle, hence she is ready to sustain her husband’s democratic legacy and make another history.
The Lagos State chairman of the party, Femi Ikuomola in his address disclosed that the party has painstakingly picked candidates without shady character who will not tarnish the image of the party and its leadership.
He added that Dupe Onitiri-Abiola and others are the best candidates whose antecedents and activities in the society are impeccable and so they are fit to hold any public office.
Ikuomola also enumerated the party’s manifestoes which include free education at all levels, free health care services for all ages, affordable homes for the masses and statutory provision for persons with disability and the elderly and eradication of poverty in Lagos State.
Consensus flag bearers to vie for seats in the Federal House of Representatives are Ebere Orhewere (Surulere 1), Adeoye Jolaosho (Oshdi/Isolo 2), Dr. A.O. Omilabu (Ikeja 2), Mr. Adeniyi (Ibeju/Lekki), Alhaji Saheed Ola Isiaka and Chief Orija Ola,Jesu.
Candidates for State House of Assembly include Akeju Stephen (Alimosho 2), Agemo Mathew Iwalere (Badagry 1), Akinsanya Adebayo Sheriff (Oshodi/Isolo 2), Mrs F. Bolatito Lawl and Bola Ajanaku.