A New Day of Renewed Hope

[Akin Rotimi]

A New Day of Renewed Hope

Statement by

Hon. Akintunde Rotimi, Jr.

following the Presidential and National Assembly Elections

Odo-Ayedun Ekiti | Thursday, March 2, 2023 

My dear people of Ekiti North 1 Federal Constituency, it is with a deep sense of humility and great delight that I make these few remarks, following the recently conducted presidential and national assembly elections.

First, I want to thank God for His preservation, provision, and grace, and for giving us the victory, because it is said in His words that “there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1).

I am grateful that the good people of Ekiti North 1 Federal Constituency, comprising Ikole and Oye local governments, voted overwhelmingly for me, and have entrusted me with the mandate to be their voice in the 10th Assembly of the Federal House of Representatives. I am most honoured by the faith you have reposed in me through your collective wisdom, and I am not unmindful of the weight of responsibility that I now bear.

I am pleased that the landslide victory and pattern of the votes across the 24 wards and 41 communities in the constituency have affirmed my widespread acceptability, and the broad based confidence you have in my Care, Courage, and Capacity to bring about sustainable development, and to positively impact on your lives and livelihoods.

I especially thank His Excellency, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Her Excellency, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, former governor and former first lady of Ekiti State, respectively, for their mentorship and guidance over the past 15 years. I thank them for being intentional about building a successor generation and for facilitating opportunities for those following them to make progress in politics and public service.

I am profoundly grateful to His Excellency, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, BAO, Governor of Ekiti State, for leading us to victory. The good governance you have demonstrated so far has conferred credibility, trust, and immense goodwill on our party in the state, which was a major factor in the victory we recorded.

I also thank His Excellency Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Trade and Investments – our leader and former governor of Ekiti State, for the support and mentorship, and for laying the foundation that the progressive family in the state continues to build upon.

I thank Barrister Paul Omotosho, the State Chairman of APC, and the leadership of our party at the state, local government, and ward levels, for giving me the opportunity to be the flag bearer in the election. I also thank all our eminent leaders for the sagely counsel and guidance and for standing solidly behind me as my party and platform. I am the product of the tutelage and handholding of a multitude of fathers and mothers in the progressive family and the diligence and energy of our youth in the party. This, indeed, is our collective victory!

I thank our revered traditional rulers, traditional councils of chiefs, town unions, community leaders, trade unions, organisations, women and youth groups, the disability sector, and other interest groups that we engaged during our campaign. I thank you for sharing your pains and yearnings with me and entrusting me with the mandate to lead the charge to address them.

I thank our volunteers and media team for the excellent work and for ensuring the tone and texture of our rigorous, organic, and grassroots-focused campaigns reflected the values we represent. I thank the various support groups for their contributions to our success. We connected with the people, and they warmly received us despite the criticisms of a few who did not understand our approach. Our youth-led, and elders-guided campaign which was commended as being exceptional by our party leadership and other stakeholders in the civic space, is a clear demonstration that our generation can rise to the challenges of the times and show a new and better way. It is a promise of the type of stewardship we will demonstrate when we assume office.

I thank Dr. Goke Ajayi, GLA Global, Enough-is-Enough Nigeria, Viisaus (and their partners), and Verdant Zeal, for the pro-bono research, intelligence, and strategic input that guided our campaigns and engagements, and ensured we did not fight as one beating the air.

I thank all those who contributed to our campaigns and ensured we will be assuming office unburdened. I thank the President, Kings College Old Boys Association, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, and the Kings College Lagos alumni community for the solid support. I thank Mr. Olu Akpata, the former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr. Ladi Lawanson, Mr. Seni Kusamotu, Mr. Ayo Ayodele, and Mr. Michael Onikoyi-Deckon, for mobilising the community to support our campaigns. I am grateful.

I thank other candidates who contested the election, including Hon. Bimbo Daramola and Hon. Oluyinka Akerele, two very respected statesmen whose love and commitment to the cause of the development of our constituency cannot be disputed. I also thank Hon. Odunayo Ayeni and the incumbent Hon. Peter Owolabi, who both participated in our party’s primary election last year, as well as other aspirants who suspended their ambitions for the common good. I thank you for your support and expressions of goodwill. I also salute the senatorial candidates of other parties within the constituency, including Hon. Funso Ayeni and Hon. Akinloye Aiyegbusi. I know without a doubt that these patriots all mean well for our people, and I humbly seek their support to harmonise our visions and blueprints for development.

As the Deputy Director General, Ekiti North, of the Ekiti APC Presidential Campaign Council, I use this opportunity to warmly congratulate the President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose legacy of service and steadfast support of our great party from inception put the wind in our sails and powered us to victory. May your tenure usher in widespread unity, peace, and progress for Nigerians! I thank the Senator-Elect of Ekiti North, Hon. Cyril Fasuyi for his leadership and for effectively coordinating all candidates throughout our campaigns.

During the presidential and national assembly campaigns, we contended with a lot of issues bordering on distrust of all politicians, general disillusionment, skepticism, and a sharp disconnection between the older and the younger generation. Truth be told, going by the level of poverty, insecurity, and how broken our systems and structures in the country are, the political elite are deserving of this reaction from the people. I am however pleased that we earned the trust of our people in Ekiti North 1 federal constituency, who believe our message of Renewed Hope and voted overwhelmingly in our favour.

Therefore, the challenge before every single elected official assuming office across all levels in the coming dispensation, is to rebuild this trust by doing right by the people, leading with the fear of God, and making the common good of Nigerians the focus of every policy, law, programme, and action to be taken. We must be transparent and accountable to our people. Our President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has the onerous task of leading the rest of us to change the course of our history as a people, and by our performance pleasantly surprise those who hoped for a different outcome in the election.

I appeal to our youth to remember that as my mentor, Dr. Fayemi often says, fixing Nigeria is a continuous work. We must continue to infiltrate the systems and structures in our numbers and bring about the change we want to see from the inside. As he has frequently admonished, “rather than agonise, we must organise” to bring about change.

I recognise that I was elected to office on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). I am committed to advancing our manifesto and values, and leveraging my new position to deepen cross-generational engagements within the party to ensure we manage widespread grievances among party members and institute a better reward and recognition mechanism. As promised during our engagements, by the grace of God, I will contribute to ensuring party members are duly recognized and rewarded for their sacrifices and efforts.

However, as is evident, my widespread victory is the outcome of a lot of cross-cutting work across members of our party, members of other parties, and even the non-partisans. It was powered by a truly diverse, broad, and inclusive coalition of supporters. I will, therefore, ensure I am a representative of all and not allow partisan affiliations to be a barrier to any constituent benefiting from our interventions.

The process of engagement with stakeholders across the communities during my campaigns offered me the opportunity to witness first-hand the challenges our people face and the urgency required to tackle them. I share in their frustrations on many crucial issues and particularly noted the plight of vulnerable segments in the last mile of society who must be reached and given the opportunity to live full and productive lives.

We will strive to ensure nobody is left behind.

We recognize that there’s an active mandate, and in keeping with our commitment to Ekiti North 1, we will continue to support the incumbent in the discharge of his duties. We will however shortly commence a range of engagements in the constituency with a view to determining what the people want, and what their priorities are, so we can align them with our strategic plan of action across our agenda points: Health, Education, Infrastructure, Security, Economic Empowerment, and Social Security. The issues we contend with in the constituency are urgent, and we have no time to waste.

I humbly ask for the support of all indigenes and residents of the constituency, both home and abroad. I call on colleagues from civil society, donor agencies, and other partners to support us to deliver our very ambitious plans. I assure you that I will be that representative you can count on to champion matters relating to the advancement of our people.

I thank my spiritual mentors, source, and support, the Sir Remi Omotoso Memorial Methodist Cathedral family, Pastor Poju Oyemade, Pastor Tony Rapu, Pastor Dele Osunmakinde, Pastor Sola Osunmakinde, Pastor Tunji Aribasoye, and Mrs. Omotoyosi Omope.

I thank my mentors in other African countries, including Alhaji Kanja Sesay and Mummy Fatu Kanja Sesay, Dr. Sylvia Blyden, and my other comrades. I thank FECA Nigeria, LEAP Africa, Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI), and other organisations that shaped and reinforced the values I am bringing to public service in those early years.

I celebrate the memory of the Akin that came before this Akin, my father, Late Chief (Hon.) Akintunde Rotimi I, for being very intentional about teaching and modelling with his life the core Ekiti values of integrity, excellence, and service, and bequeathing a worthy legacy for me to leverage and build on. I thank Mr. Albert Okumagba, my mentor of blessed memory, who modeled a truly selfless life that prioritised the common good above personal interests.

I thank my resilient support system, my foundation of love that gave me the confidence to embark on the journey - Tina, my very dear life partner, as well as Tammy, Timmy, and Tommy. I thank my mother, Madam Modupeola Rotimi, and my sisters Moji, Sade, and Mosun. I love you all, and thank you for your sacrifice, understanding, and patience.

I don’t have a biological brother, but I must single out two gentlemen who have done more than a million brothers could – Mr. Akintunde Oyebode and Mr. Tosin Adaraniwon. Someday, I hope to tell you more about them and other comrades who were the pillars of our campaigns. They are remarkable Ekiti men whose character and values inspire hope that our generation will get it right.

My people, I offer my assurances that as disciplined adherents of progressive politics, we will go beyond tokenism and the exploitation of poverty for political gain, and work selflessly to bring a new lease of life to our people and our communities, without impugning on their dignity. I am embracing the challenge of giving meaning to the faith and confidence reposed in me. It is my strong desire to prove that young people can hold office and perform.

I will listen to you and carry you along in all our efforts because AkinOmoAkin belongs to everybody. By the grace of God, I will not disappoint you.

Igbayi Ayewa!

God bless the good people of Ikole Local Government!

God bless the good people of Oye Local Government!

God bless Ekiti State!

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Akintunde Rotimi Jr

(AkinOmoAkin)

Member-Elect of House of Representatives,

Ekiti North 1 (Ikole/Oye) Federal Constituency