Remember we told you Alao Akala has decamped to Labour Party from PDP. Well the other 5 aspirants he met in the party who were willing to cling the party’s Gubernatorial ticket have all stepped down for the former governor, which automatically makes him the ticket holder.
Alao-Akala, who was adopted at a well-attended special congress of the party, held at the Olubadan Stadium in Ibadan, announced Alhaji Sharafadeen Alli as his running mate for the 2015 election. Also read his speech after the cut. Btw, the congress was well attended…he’s got his crowd.
Protocols….
Ladies and gentlemen!
Today marks the beginning of another history in the political landscape of our great state. The beginning of victory over darkness, as we’re all on board to the promise land.
The events of the recent weeks spurred us into taking this very bold step. A step that has put stop to rumours, gist and speculation within the political circuit in Oyo State and Nigeria at large.
I want to take you down political archive of this state in the last 35 years. No politician or group of people has ever being a monopoly of winning formula for all elections till date. The indices keep on changing every season even while our generalisimo late Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu was alive.
This year, against all expectations, something unique and historical happened. That has always being the peculiarity of political algebra in Oyo state and this has continually goes beyond any human ability or permutation.
From the time of the late Cicero uncle Bola Ige (1979 to 1983), late Chief Kolapo Ishola’s short term of 1992-1993, Alhaji Lam Adesina, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, my humble self’s first stint as governor of the state and the current administration, the formula has never being the same.
An adage says, “man proposes God disposes.” In preparation for 2015 elections, we set out to actualize our ambition on our old mat, but God has another plan for us- here we are on a marble, the Rehoboth, without stress amidst honest and reliable people.
I want to reiterate it that we never planned to leave PDP. We were not chased out either but it was evident that the current leadership of the party had forgotten that politics is not the same as election.
We set out to win election because we are sure that we have the masses on our side. But they were busy playing “politics from the top” and never considered its implication during election proper.
We refused to satisfy the minority and gamble with the lives of millions because of an inordinate ambition.
Let me affirm here that after politics from the top comes election which can only be decided by the masses. It will speak of the master of the game.
Though we’re not abrogating arrogance to ourselves, but our party as its slogan says- forward ever, backward never, its army is full of election marshals of note and not chess players.
They are marshals who for a very long time have proven themselves while they’ve never shown any sign of tiredness. I refer to them as ‘tested and trusted’ marshals.
We know nobody from the top but we’re heir of the TOP MAN, God Himself, because his own list cannot be doctored anywhere.
As from this moment, we will embark on massive public enlightenment to all nooks and crannies of the state.
I want to use this opportunity to thank everybody that made this union what it is today.
People make party, together we shall make history in this state with Labour Party come February 2015 and beyond.
Forward ever, backward never.
I thank you all