Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, on Sunday sent a solidarity message to Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress(APC) for the 2023 general election.
The message was conveyed by the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Bayo Lawal who represented Makinde in Ondo State at the reception of Tinubu by the leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti .
Tinubu on Sunday, visited Fasoranti and the leadership of Afenifere, the Yoruba cultural and political organisation to present his Action Plan on how he intends to tackle the economic and other problems the country is grappling with.
Afenifere, after the meeting, endorsed the APC presidential candidate, noting that his presidency would be good for Nigeria.
Lawal noted that though separated by political affiliation, the Yoruba are united by strong ethnic bonds.
Seyi Makinde and four other PDP governors believed to be aggrieved over party leadership tussles have been at loggerheads with the Chairman of the People Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Iyorcha Ayu over the zoning of the party’s chairmanship seat.
Speaking in the Yoruba language at the event, Lawal who represented Gov Makinde, stressed that the people of his state will stand with the decision of Yoruba leaders as regards the 2023 presidential election.
His words: “ Since Makinde became governor, he doesn’t joke with anything that concerns the Yoruba people, whenever baba (Pa Fasoranti) calls him, he is always available.
“Whenever there is an event, either organized by Afenifere or any other Yoruba group, Gov Makinde will always be supportive. Though we are not of the same political affiliation, but we are bound by ethnicity”.
“The message he sent me to deliver here is that, whatever you are doing in Yorubaland, Makinde, Oyo people are in support of it.”
After ending his speech at the event, Lawal sang a song Yoruba song, “…Asiwaju ni wa, Asiwaju ni wa” which literally means “We are the one who leads” and the same song can be interpreted as a pledge to Tinubu (Asiwaju)
