By James Ogunnaike

ABEOKUTA — GOVERNOR Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, yesterday, submitted the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for his re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the party leadership, in Abuja.

Abiodun arrived at the venue around 3:15pm, amid pomp and ceremony, with supporters waving flags and singing songs in praise of the governor, who is seeking a second term in office.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, the governor, who submitted the forms to party officials at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, said that with the support from the masses, he was confident of victory at the March 11, 2023, governorship elections.

The governor said: “I formally submitted my Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms to our party leadership.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I am running for a second term in office, and I have announced that I will be running with my deputy, Mrs. Noimot Salako Oyedele.

“We are running on the records of our achievements in the last three years. We have been open, transparent, inclusive, and accountable and brought dividends of democracy to every nook and cranny of Ogun State.

“We have put in place, a robust economic agenda, that is encapsulated in our ISEYA (Infrastructure, Social Welfare and Welfare and Wellbeing; Education, Youth Empowerment and Agriculture) developmental agenda and it has propelled all the various interventions that we’ve had in Ogun State.

“Despite COVID-19 and its constraints, we achieved landmark achievements across all sections for which we have received recognition globally. It allowed us to redouble our efforts and ensure that people can feel us meaningfully in all areas. We shall not rest on our oars. The future of the next generation is the foundation we are laying. All good hands must be on deck.

“We will not develop one section of Ogun State at the expense of another. We will raise the bar for good governance, economic renaissance and individual prosperity of our people. So shall it, going forward.”

Disregard petition against gov, youths tell APC

Meanwhile, the Conference of Youth Leaders in Ogun State, yesterday, urged the APC leadership to disregard the petition against Governor Abiodun by a ‘faceless group’.

The youths, in a statement by its chairman, Mr Seyi Afolabi urged the APC leadership not to entertain detractors with baseless claims against Governor Abiodun’s candidacy for the next governorship election.

The statement reads: “Without mincing words, the only sellable aspirant and product for the topmost position in the Gateway state today is Prince Dapo Abiodun. This is without any iota of equivocation.

“Governor Abiodun had, in the last three years, brought governance directly to the people. He never embarked on any project without consulting with leaders of the party, community, and traditional and religious leaders. The people always decide what they want before approving such project.”