The youth wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos State, yesterday urged all its members across the state to mobilise support for the APC candidate for the December 5 senatorial bye-election in Lagos East, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru.
Likewise, the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Lagos East, also endorsed Abiru ahead of the bye-election, saying that he is the candidate that held a stakeholders’ meeting to listen to their yearnings.
In a statement by its Organising Secretary, Mr. Idris Aregbe, the APC youths enumerated benefits awaiting Lagos residents, especially the youths, if the party’s candidate won the senatorial bye-election in Lagos East on Saturday.
Aregbe said voting the APC candidate during next month election, for the youths, was voting for someone that would, aside representing the senatorial district’s interest, give back to Lagos especially the constituency that made him, Lagos-East senatorial district.
He added that his conviction of the party’s senatorial candidate was the outcome of his findings that further revealed that Abiru, a financial expert, had been contributing to development of the state while in the private sector.
Aregbe stated that Abiru, a former Executive Director of First Bank Plc and the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Bank was seeking the office to ensure quality representation for Lagosians at the National Assembly.
Aside from quality representation, he explained that Abiru would attract federal government attention to the plights of Lagos residents.
According to him, his antecedent while serving Lagos State as Commissioner for finance was exemplary and he was instrumental towards strengthening Lagos economy.
Unlike other candidates, the youth secretary noted that Abiru “is a Lagosian that had his education in the country and over three decades, worked passionately for the state to become a destination for all.
He said: “I implore all youths in Epe, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Somolu, Ibeju-Lekki and its environs and indeed all lovers of the youths to come out en-masse on December 5, 2020 to vote Tokunbo Abiru for the Lagos East Senatorial seat”.
At a meeting with Abiru on Thursday, the Chairman of Lagos NYCN, Mr. Lekan Sulaiman promised to mobilise youths across the senatorial district for his support.
The session was attended by 16 coordinators of the youth council from the five local government areas (LGAs) and 11 local council development areas (LCDAs) in Lagos East
Speaking at the session, Lekan said endorsing Abiru became imperative because of all the candidates vying in the bye-election; only the candidate of APC took out time to host the youth and listen to their yearnings.
He, also, commended the APC candidate for prioritising engagement with the youth, saying this “is the first time a candidate singled out an engagement with the youth council in the history of elections in Lagos East and Lagos State as a whole.
He said: ”permit me to start by appreciating you for the town hall meeting you facilitated the other time when you hosted the students and the youths. This is the first of its kind in the history of elections in Lagos East that a candidate will have an interactive session with youth. We sincerely appreciate the gesture.”
