The Alepata of Igboholand, Oba Joel Olalere Olawuwo, has described the re-election of the Oyo State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde as well-deserved and a testament to his people-oriented leadership and good governance.
Alepata, who is the paramount ruler and permanent chairman of the Oorelope Local Government Council of Obas and Chiefs, stated this on Sunday in a statement he made available to newsmen, noting that the landslide victory recorded by the governor attested to the fact that he is loved by all and sundry.
According to Oba Olawuwo, the unprecedented nature of Makinde’s victory at the polls reflected the massive support he enjoyed from the traditional rulers, religious bodies, town associations and others.
The royal father, who congratulated the governor and his deputy, Barr. Bayo Lawal, declared that the people of Oorelope Local Government will continue to support the Makinde administration to achieve success.
He maintained that though the governor was not able to win the election in the council, the people showed their massive support by giving 6,487 votes to the PDP, which lost by a margin of only 594 votes.
He said: “I congratulate our Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, on his re-election in the March 18 governorship election.
“The victory speaks volume; it is witness to the good programmes and policies implemented by the governor in his first term, which made life more meaningful for our people.
“The victory is well-earned and well-deserved, because it is the effort of everyone coming together to say, yes, Makinde has done well and he should continue in office. We thank our ancestors for giving us a governor like him and for allowing him to win a second term.
“As you would recall, all traditional rulers declared publicly that we are with Makinde and we made sure we followed that commitment to the letters. That is why this victory is sweet.
“As for Oorelope Local Government, Governor Makinde will always have our support any day. I have heard some people ask why the governor’s party lost in Oorelope; well, that is the beauty of democracy but our people tried their best and supported Governor Makinde massively.
“As the governor had earlier assured us, that we would have further engagements on some of our yearnings for development, we implore him to look beyond the outcome of the election and work towards making our people proud of his government as always.
“We have prayed for him and we will always do; may God grant him greater success as we move into Omituntun 2.0.”
