By Jude Opara, Abuja
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje on Tuesday night formally received Dr. Col. Gbenga Adegbola (rtd) as a member of the ruling party.
This is as the retired Army officer who also hails from the Oke-Ogun area of the state said he hopes to actualize the aspiration of the people to also produce a governor of the state.
National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Ganduje while welcoming the new entrant who also joined with over 3000 of his supporters from both his Ward and the Local Government Area, said he was excited with the entry of the Army officer, whom he added also knows the rules and regulations of the party.
“You are behaving as if you have been in the party for years. He first went to his unit, then the ward and local government to register, before he went to the state. This explains why the leaders of the state are here with him at the National Secretariat.
“I am not surprised, because a retired military officer is always a disciplined man. He will bring more discipline to our party. We thank you for coming to APC and we assure you thst you are now a full member of our party.
“By this declaration, you have the privilege, opportunities and the chance to contest for any position in the party. If you decide to contest election, an enable environment is guaranteed. You are free to contest for any office you so wish.
Ganduje also spoke on the plans of the party to consolidate its strength in the South West ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Our blueprint for South West geo-political zone for 2027 is tagged “political homogeneity”.
In other words, the South West according to our blueprint, we will work hard and with the help of Allah (SWT) and the people of the state, Oyo will be an APC State in 2027. Other states in the zone that is off the hook – Osun state, in sha Allahau will also be an APC state. That is what we mean by political homogeneity.
“By your coming to our party, you are increasing the strength of our party, especially with young people that are coming with you to our party and we assure you as a full member of our party, we will give you every opportunity. You have the same status with all the older members of the party”.
In his remarks, Col. Gbenga Adegbola (rtd) while addressing newsmen shortly after the reception said he is
wholeheartedly and highly committed to the renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He said; “We will do everything possible to make sure that we make Oyo State by 2027 an APC state.
“We will do everything humanly possible by the special grace of God, that all nooks and crannies of Oyo State, we have been able to get assurance through the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje. He has given us his words and encouragement. That is why we thank the Almighty for bringing us this far. Subsequently, you will be hearing from us. I want to thank the Oyo State excos that followed me down and some senior military officers.
On how to actualize the Oke-Ogun dream of producing a governor, Adegbola said; “Well, we are one entity in Oyo State. And we pray those issues will be sorted out appropriately”.
The Army officer turned politician also spoke on the spate of insecurity ravaging parts of the state and by extension the South West.
“I think out of the old states in southern Nigeria, Oyo is the best in terms of security. We are feared than any other state, even in the South West. So, I don’t think we have security as it is being portrayed. If you watch what is happening, you can sleep with your two eyes closed in Oyo State. There are no challenges in insecurity in Oyo State. To the best of my knowledge, there is no state that is crime free. But the percentage is very low in Oyo state”.
At the moment, Oyo state is under the control of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
