Senate President Ahmad Lawan has pleaded with Nigerians to give the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) another opportunity.
He said this at a town hall meeting organised by the Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, on Saturday.
At the meeting, which held in Ilorin, the state capital, Oloriegbe declared his intention to run for another term.
The senate president had earlier performed the ground breaking of a rehabilitation centre at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Budo-Egba, Asa Local Government Area, and commissioned Idi-Isin Community Heatlh Centre, Okolowo Area of Ilorin, both of which Oloriegbe facilitated.
Lawan, however, cautioned Kwarans against returning past leadership in the state.
He told those at the town hall meeting that the performance of Oloriegbe in the National Assembly has dwarfed all those who occupied the senatorial seat before him.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Lawan’s predecessor, is among those who occupied the senatorial seat before Oloriegbe.
“I also want to call on all Nigerians to give APC another chance at all levels beyond 2023. We have promised Nigerians to continue to do our best and we would not renege on our promises,” Lawan said.
“I will like to remind you here, those people that you chased out will never get tired of trying to come back. You have only one more of “Otoge” and they will never come back.
“In 2023, just chase them far away from Kwara, and they will never find their way to Kwara. Don’t take it for granted. They are smart people. You know that. Chase them far away, if you can, up to the Atlantic Ocean if you chose to chase them to the South. If you wish, chase them up to Niger Republic. Chase them far away from here.
“The people of Kwara, you have gotten what you deserve from 2019. You have a state Governor that is for you. You have your National Assembly members that are for you. You have your state Assembly members that are for you and council chairmen and councillors.
“Don’t ever take that for granted. Less than three years, what our state Governor in Kwara has done, what our members of National Assembly, our Distinguished Senators, all the three of them, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe from Kwara Central, Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar of Kwara North, Senator Lola Ashiru of Kwara South, have given every time that they need to give for us in the Senate to achieve what we have been able to achieve in the Senate.
“You don’t need to think twice. Vote for them more than you did in 2019. Make the gap more than convincing. Vote massively. Don’t assume, well we have won in 2019, this people, send them far away from Kwara so that we can maintain the trajectory of what you have been able to get today because, Nigerians, having gone through 16 years of deprivation, of mis-governance between 1999 and 2015, deserve the Progressives to continue to provide leadership in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, Oloriegbe reminded the people of Kwara that the ‘O to ge’ struggle that ousted the then political dynasty was targeted at poor governance and pauperization of the masses that were the hallmarks of the last administration.
He said his representation at the National Assembly has set a template for the people of Kwara Central since 2019.
Oloriegbe urged the people of Kwara Central to rally round him in his quest for re-election in 2023.
