A former governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ondo State, Comrade Rotimi Benjamin has congratulated the Ondo state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa on his re-election as Governor of the state.
Governor Aiyedatiwa who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged winner at Saturday’s November 16, 2024 election in the state, beating his closest opponent, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Comrade Benjamin, a trade unionist and President of ROTMAX OIL AND GAS LTD, in his congratulatory message from United States on Friday, commended the presidency, the security agencies and the electoral umpire for a peaceful, transparent, credible, conclusive, free and fair election in Ondo state. He however urged that modalities be put in place to dissuade selfish individuals from seeking political offices.
His statement reads thus:
“I sincerely extend my warmest congratulations to you, Your Excellency, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on your well-deserved victory to continue as Governor of Ondo State at the recently concluded gubernatorial poll which took on Saturday, November 16, 2024; a process widely adjudged to be peaceful, credible, conclusive, transparent, free and fair.
“Sir, your tireless efforts and dedication to the people of Ondo State have paid off, and I am honoured to have supported your candidacy ab-initio.
“I equally wish to commend you for your bravery and for endearing yourself to the people. I must also appreciate the good people of Ondo state for turning out en mass to exercise their franchise and waiting vigilantly thereafter to protect their votes.
“I also salute the security agencies for being more professional and for not showing partisanship in the election as against what we’ve witnessed in past elections.
“I applaud INEC for using a virtual portal to upload results directly from the polling units, which made it impossible for electoral violators to hijack the electoral process as has often been the case in the past and I demand that this template be replicated in all subsequent elections conducted by INEC.
“I also give kudos to President Bola Tinubu for creating an enabling environment for a credible off-circle election in Ondo State and as well urge him to give life to electoral reform in order to promote peace and give credibility to our electoral process across the country.
“Finally, I appeal to all Nigerians of good will not to give up on the country as this election has shown that if we faint not, in the course of time, we shall live to see the Nigeria of our dreams.
“Once again, please accept my heartfelt congratulations. I look forward to working closely with you to ensure that our state continues to thrive and prosper. Once again, congratulations Your Excellency, Comrade Benjamin stated.