By Emmanuel Oladesu and Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin
A week after he hosted party chairmen from the Northcentral in Abuja, on his 2023 ambition, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has visited Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, to consult with 26 local government chairmen.
At the meeting, he restated his desire to seek the ticket of his party and subsequently lead the country back to the path of growth and development.
Informing the gathering of his intention to formally declare for the race on May 3, he expressed his commitment to unite the country, which he said “is divided along ethnic and religious lines.”
Olawepo-Hashim assured the crowd of keeping his promise of running an inclusive government to accommodate tendencies, in order to assuage the pains arising from the divisions and controversies across the nation.
He said: “Solution to national security, unemployment, high cost of petroleum products and basic items requires new and fresh approach to handle, that those who have never paid for anything they consume in the past 23 years cannot understand.”
The presidential aspirant hailed the performance of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the last three years and endorsed his second term bid.
He said worthy of commendation was the governor’s policy of giving political opportunities to youths and women.
He praised his efforts to restore the dignity of the state in education, infrastructure and human capital development.
During his visit to the state late last year, Olawepo-Hashim said the liberation of Kwara took decades and inflicted battle scars on the participants, adding that the state must not be allowed to go back to slavery and socio-political emasculation that had retarded its progress for years.
The council chairmen, many of who are political associates of the aspirant, pledged their support to who they said “is our own and ally of our governor.”
The Chairman of Isin Local Government, Segun Awogbade, said: “Olawepo-Hashim is a very kind man. I have been his supporter for 25 years.”
The Chairman, Asa Council, Alhaji Shehu Yahaya, said: “We fought for the freedom of Kwara together as our leader.”