The National Chairman of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, says the outcome of Ondo state governorship election wasn’t influenced by the presidency or any other external force.
Ganduje, who stated this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the governor-elect at the APC national secretariat of the party said the victory recorded by the party in 202 out of 203 wards spoke volume of the level of acceptability of APC in the state.
He maintained that the entire strata of Ondo people voted en masse for the governor across the 18 Local government Councils.
Ganduje, therefore, urged the governor to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor, late Rotimi Akeredolu.
He said it behooves on Aiyedatiwa who is conversant with the nooks and cranny of the 18 councils of the state to ensure even spread of developmental projects and avoid falling into the trap of abandonment of projects in the state.
Ganduje noted: “There is no subterranean support from any quarters. No external influence from the government, the presidency or any other external forces.
“The election is not the effort of the elites alone. It is not the effort of the middle class alone, it is the effort of the grassroot.
“This must be an issue that was embraced by all. You enjoyed the support of the electorates in the state. We have to congratulate you for this landslide victory. I know Ondo people are progressives which is why they will cooperate with you.”
Earlier, Aiyedatiwa expressed gratitude to the party and the electorate in Ondo state for their overwhelming support for him in last Saturday’s governorship poll.
He added that the people of Ondo state knew who they wanted and they voted for integrity, continuity, and good leadership that the APC represents.
Aiyedatiwa said a huge burden am has been placed on their shoulders with the massive votes the people gave APC in the last Saturday’s election.
His words: “I cannot but come here to appreciate the party— the platform that gave me the opportunity to run the race. Come here to stop over to thank you. It’s not a case of being disrespectful not to present my certificate of return to you, but to wait for the return of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The people of Ondo state knew who they wanted and voted for integrity, continuity, good leadership that we represent with the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President.
“That was what happened when we attained a feat never achieved before. We won in every local government in the state. With the election, Ondo people spoke clearly and loudly that they voted for APC represented by myself.
“We served within the last 10 months and people have seen the way to go. We made promises and with the massive votes the people gave to us, they have placed a burden on us to do more than what we did in the last 10 months. After we end our service, the APC will take over from us again to ensure the name of our party will be intact.”