Groups promise 700,000 votes for Aiyedatiwa

Some interest groups in Ondo State have vowed to work for the victory of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the November 16 governorship election in the state, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The interest groups include traditional rulers committees, farmers, non-indigenes, artisans, doctors and nurses, People Living With Disabilities, and religious groups among others.

Speaking at the inauguration of the groups on Monday, the chairman of the group, Biyi Poroye said the target of the group was to deliver record votes for Governor Aiyedatiwa in the forthcoming poll.

Poroye declared that the APC must win the election brilliantly and fairly.

He said, “No governor in the history of Ondo state has ever made 300,000 votes to win any election. The highest votes recorded is 273,000, but for this election, we are sure of winning and not an ordinary win. We are going to lay a new foundation in the history of elections in this state and the whole world will be stunned with the number of votes to be delivered.

“What we are expecting is nothing less than 700,000 votes and what we need to do is to ensure at least 200 votes per unit. I want to assure you that the results of this governorship election will make President Tinubu to renegotiate with the people of the state.”

In his remarks, the State APC Chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, who commended the group for the gesture, appealed to them to mobilise voters from the grassroots through a house-to-house campaign.

He said, “I want to commend you and all the youths in the APC for your efforts towards ensuring victory for our party in the election. We all want a prosperous and secured state so we have to keep working towards achieving it.

“I urge you all, including other youths in the state, to continue to canvass support for Aiyedatiwa so that he can emerge victorious in the forthcoming elections.

 “The 700,000 votes target is achievable and I can see your determination to achieve this. We believe in you and we will support you. I want to implore you to move to all these communities and canvass for votes.”

The state’s Deputy Governor, Dr. Olayide Adelami, described the gesture as rare and hailed the members over their resolve.

“Go back to your ward and units, and talk to people. Voter education and mobilisation are crucial and I urge you to commence work immediately. I want to thank you for your support. It’s always good to define a goal and a target. When I first heard about the plan for 700,000 votes in this election, I did some calculations.

“It means we need about 177 votes per unit, or to be safe, let’s aim for 200 per unit. Is it possible? Yes, but we need to do things differently to achieve this result,” the deputy governor stated.