Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that during the setbacks he faced during the preparations for the 2023 Presidential elections, he went to Ogun State to “invoke the spirit of freedom” which enabled him to emerge victorious in the elections.
In his visit to Ogun State which included gracing the palace of Awujale and the Paramount leader of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, President Tinubu expressed his gratitude to the traditional ruler and other dignitaries present, thanking them for sticking with him and showing their unwavering support during the election period, despite the challenges that the naira swap policy brought to them.
The president, in his address, said to them, “To many of you, thank you for being there for me and for being there for the country. You’ve demonstrated so much loyalty, so much commitment, voted at a very crucial time. Your monies were confiscated, the cash swap didn’t work. It was terrible then, I realized that.
“And I came to Ogun state to invoke the spirit of freedom for which we are noted for. I invoked that spirit twice. The spirit of Baba is ‘Emi lo kan’, that’s Baba. Being blunt, being decisive, that’s him, he will tell you.
“And the second spirit is that money or no money, a ma dibo, a ma wole, mi o sanwo (translated as- we will vote, we will win, I’m not paying) and that ever since has been the spirit that is driving me to serve. I am honoured.”
Giving special thanks to Awujale, President Tinubu said, “I’ve just come to respond to him calling saying I need to see you. Baba, here is your president, here is your son.
“Thank you, thank you for everything. I thank God for you being alive to witness today. To witness the results of the election and pray for we your children. You have an uncommon courage. You gave it to us, you’ve passed it on. You utilized it to invoke the spirit of who we are as a people. Very proud people, very honourable people, people of great character, our diversity for our prosperity will never be forgotten.”
Tinubu then appreciated the dignitaries present once again saying, “Ogun has been very inspirational for me. It is a homecoming for me. I owe so much to all of you, so much to thank you for, because the way you’ve taken me, the way you’ve responded to me, all I can say is thank you,” he said.
President Tinubu’s visit to Ogun State was hosted by Awujale and the Paramount leader of Ijebu land, Oba Adetona. Also present at the event were billionaire industrialist Otunba Mike Adenuga, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun; ex-Ogun governor, Gbenga Daniel; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, among others.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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