A group, Greater Oyo State Forum on Thursday tasked the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to call Oyo state stakeholders meeting before the May 29 inauguration.
Greater Oyo state Forum in a press statement by its Chairman, Hon. Simeon Adeleke, said there was the urgent need for the president-elect to rally notable leaders and stakeholders that worked for the actualisation of his electoral victory in Oyo state for a meeting ahead of the inauguration day.
According to the forum, such meeting would allow the leaders to pay their homage to the president-elect because there had not been any of such ‘congratulatory visit’ to the Asiwaju since February when he won at the poll.
It stressed that such visit would engender mutual trust among the people of the State and the President-elect because they are already worried that the State hasn’t been properly represented , notwithstanding the visit of G5 Governors to the President-elect, where Governor Seyi Makinde of the state also featured prominently
“A number of eminent people of the State; traditional rulers, religious leaders, women groups, market men and women led by the Babaloja and Iyaloja and others supported Asiwaju to clinch landslide victory spanning all the 33 local governments during the election”, it said.
The group added, “On the political side, the wife of former Governor of the State, Mrs Florence Ajimobi; a serving Executive Secretary of National Sugar Development Council, Mr. Zacch Adedeji; a notable philanthropist who doubles as the Chairman/CEO, Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Engr. Dotun Sanusi, among others worked for the success of Mr President-elect before and during the election.
“Asiwaju should open his doors to the people of Oyo state to rejoice with him like other states have been doing. We are the first set of people to endorse Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in all the states of the Southwestern Nigeria.
“Our traditional rulers including Ibadan senior chiefs, Mogajis, Baales and others organised several rallies across Ibadanland and Oyo state. On many occasions, Ilaji stadium in Akanran, Ona Ara local government was the venue for such events.”
The group stressed, “We can say Tinubu’s presidency was a collective effort and our incoming President must not ostracize Oyo state in the scheme of things. He needs to have our people as the cornerstone of his administration. He should create an interface with our people and leaders before the inauguration later this month.
‘It is ironic that since February, almost three months after Asiwaju was declared as winner, none of these great sons and daughters of our State have been hosted or allowed to pay a congratulatory visit to the incoming president.
‘This group observes that other states have had their leaders hosted by the President-elect but Oyo state which posted the best result in the Southwest geopolitical zone has not had the opportunity to have its leaders visiting the new leader of our country.
“Should this continue till when Asiwaju takes oath of office as the most powerful leader of the most populous black nation of the world, how would it be possible to ensure that our people enjoy the dividends of their sacrifice(s) during the struggles to get Mr President elected?
“It is therefore a matter of urgency that the Stakeholders from the State rally themselves to also congratulate the President-elect, with a view of positioning our state for the task ahead especially as it concerns federal presence, political patronages and infrastructural facilities of the new government of the federation for all the geopolitical zones of our state.”
