28th March, 2019
By Adejoke Adeleye, Abeokuta
Ogun State Governor-elect, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Thursday dedicated his certificate of return to the people of the state who had turned out in their numbers to vote for him in the March 9 gubernatorial election despite the threat from opposition.
Abiodun spoke while making his remarks at the official presentation of certificates of return to Governor-elect, Deputy Governor-elect and elected members of the State House of Assembly, held at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Magbon, Abeokuta, by the Commissioner in-charge of Lagos, Ogun and Ondo State respectively, Chief Adekunle Ladipo-Ogunmola.
His words: “my victory at the poll as the next governor is neither that of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC), nor mine alone, it is indeed the victory for all the good people of Ogun State who, despite the challenges that could have dampened their spirit and prevented them from exercising their civic duties, defied the odds and came out in their large numbers and laid the foundation for this ceremony.
“You are the real heroes and heroines of this success and democracy . You are the ultimate winners. It is gratifying to note that, almost all my major co-contestants have demonstrated spirit of sportsmanship, congratulated us and even responded to our hands of fellowship.
“I salute your character which confirms that your motivation is beyond aspiration for office or personal interests. Our hands of fellowship remain wide open to all”, said Abiodun.
According to Abiodun, “good governance is not just a legitimate expectation of our people which we are committed to, it is also our little way of showing gratitude to God Almighty for His benevolence that made our success at the poll and today’s event a reality.
“Many of you are fully aware of my odyssey to warrant any recap here, suffice to say that left to man, I would not be standing here today. God manifested His awesomeness and clearly communicated: “man is man, God is God. God has been faithful to me in this journey and I am obliged to remain faithful to Him by keeping faith with campaign promises I made to the people and make their welfare priority at all times”.
In his own welcome address, the Ogun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof Abdulganiyu Raji admonished the governor-elect to resist temptation to run politics of hatred, but rather, a government for all and sundry.