There were conflicting stories that trailed the visit of candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the forthcoming 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar after the news filtered in that Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde took over the affairs of the visitation.
The visit of the former Vice President was organized for a crucial meeting with the Zonal executive council of the party as a strategic move to reposition the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
However, LiveTimesNG reliably gathered that the former Deputy Governor, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi has been on neck of the governor to join him in supporting and working for the presidential candidate but didn’t show concern.
It was gathered that on Monday, September 12 when delegation of Atiku visited Gov. Makinde in his office ahead of the Wednesday program, the governor insisted that he must take over the control of the program and venue of the program would be changed.
In the video below, Alh. Gbolarumi who is the coordinator of the presidential campaign could be heard agreeing with the Atiku’s delegation to allow Makinde to take charge of the program.
Below is details of address prepared by Alh. Gbolarumi for the event…
Protocols,
Your Excellencies, and other dear Attendees at this interactive gathering, in celebrating a Distinguished man, a Pathfinder, a Unifier, a Unique Gentleman, an Endowed Family Man, and an Imperial Leader to all and sundry, I have the peculiar assignment to interact here today, with brief goodwill message, and I cannot but, just start and end my message on any other focus, except our Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and in particular, our 2023 Presidential candidate, H.E. Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Waziri Adamawa, who by the special grace of God, and total support of the Nigerian people, shall be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, come 2023!
According to Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, a senior British Army officer who served in both the First World War and the Second World War, he said,
My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. The man that vividly suit this saying is no other but H.E. Atiku Abubakar. As Leaders, Members, Stakeholders of PDP, all our fellow Nigerian citizens, who have been traumatised beyond measures and human endurances; and along with our giant of Africa, which have been plunged into the poverty capital of the world, and also being a most-hated country in present time, but, WE, under the umbrella of PDP, will receive strength, wisdom, favour, and help, to get into corridors of power come 2023, so that we can rebuild and restructure our own dear native land again, nitori, Nigeria yi. ti gbogbo wa ni, ko ma gbodo baje, tori ko si bomiran ti a le lo. Ajo o le dabi ile. E je ka so wo po, kafi mo sokan, gbe, kemi gbe. [This Nigeria belongs to all of us, it must not be destroyed, since we do not have another country that is ours. A foreign land cannot be like one’s home country. Let’s therefore, join hands in unity of faith, to raise this country to the highest pedestal].
Abraham Lincoln, an American Statesman and Lawyer, who served as the 16th President of the United States from 1861 to 1865, who led America through its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crises in the American Civil War, and who succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernising the U.S. economy, truthfully said that, Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power. H.E. Atiku Abubakar, was given power, when he served as the Vice President, to H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. But, I, Barrister Hazeem Gbolarumi, also a learned colleague like former President Abraham Lincoln, attest to the fact that Atiku Abubakar not only knows how to stand gidigba, unmovable, unshakable, unperturbed, unwavering, unfearful in adversity, but equally un-wasteful in learning and character, when it comes to power. As the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an employer of labour, a keen and key political party leader and stakeholder, a multiple time presidential candidate, who during the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential race, even stepped down in1993 for our dearly departed hero, Late Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Abiola (MKO), of blessed memory, Atiku neither abused with power, nor abused power, as it only takes a person of inner violence to exhibit outer abuse of power, who HE Atiku is not.
Atiku Abubakar strode on every adversity all his lifetime, to always place his feet on higher pedestals. His only sister died at a young age, making him the only surviving child of his parents, while he also lost his father at a young age, but here he is today! According to Atiku, … I felt extremely lonely as a child, having no brother or sister, so, I did not want my children to be as lonely as I was… The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. That is what Ronald W. Reagan, the 40th President of the United States said, and in Nigeria as at today, it is uncontestable that, H.E. Atiku Abubakar, is the man that readily comes to mind in this regard. A humble man that can work with Nigerians, to shield from loneliness, perpetual hardships, poverty, and national divisions.
In 1966, Atiku Abubakar gained admission into the School of Hygiene, Kano, and graduated with a diploma in 1967. In the same year, Atiku proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University on scholarship, where he graduated with a Diploma in Law in 1969, and immediately got employed by the Nigeria Customs Service, where he worked for 20 years, rising to become the Deputy Director, and retired in 1989, to venture into business and politics. He started a real estate business, and with a loan of N31, 000, he completed building his first house in Yola, which he rented out. The proceeds from his first house was used in building his second house, and he continued in this manner; thereby, building a sizeable portfolio of properties in Yola, Nigeria.
Atiku also ventured into Agriculture in 1981. He bought 2,500 hectares of land to start maize and cotton plantations. Unfortunately, the business closed down in 1986. With an unrelenting attitude however, Atiku started the sales of rice, flour and sugar, being the then era of his most important business, and here he is today! This is a man worthy of our collective efforts, in supporting his noble ambition, and together, as a formidable Party, PDP, we shall make our mandates real. We shall work tirelessly, to ensure that we win the 2023 electoral seats with tremendous victory!
Indira Gandhi, the first and, to date, only female Prime Minister of India, said,
My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition. Kapil Dev also stated that, Irrespective of any political party, I am a supporter of good people who want to do something for the society. We must therefore, together, be the Working People for this wonderful man who wants to do good things for the Nigerian people, especially, having learned from variety of experiences, including past mistakes, challenges, and achievements. As earlier stated by John C. Maxwell, One of the roles of the Presidency is to lead a political party. Having a President in office is usually a huge advantage to a party because it gives the party a mouthpiece and an advocate at the highest level. We must thus, collectively, with one voice, March towards total Victory for our political party, PDP, in the general elections, come 2023, particularly, the presidency!!
Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and political leader stated that –
It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. But, You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership. H.E. Atiku Abubakar, the Unifier, in body and soul, is a peculiar man of Vision and Valour; a Valliant man in Kindness and Leadership.
I, Barr. Hazeem Gbolarumi, hereby, reaffirm Our South West Zone’s usual, and continual total support for the victory of the PDP elections in 2023, particularly, the presidential election. On a final note, I do not only specially Thank the entire South West Zone of PDP, but particularly, Thank PDP Lagos State, PDP, Ogun State, PDP Osun State, PDP Ondo State, PDP Ekiti State, PDP Oyo State, and entire PDP Nigeria, including the National Working Committee, Board of Trustes, National Chairman and all National Executive Council. I specially, wish the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde, and his cabinet, all the best.
Without any fear of any form of contradiction or intimidation, Your Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa, olowo ori Titilayo ti a, niha hin, erekusu iwo orun [the dowry payer of Titilayo Atiku, our own daughter from here in South West], Nigeria, I say congratulations.
Your Excellency Sir, since, it is very important to have the long overdue additional title, I therefore, hereby, may crave the indulgence of this September gathering, to again share something special with you, by adding Adisa to your name. We can then always address you as, H.E. Atiku Adisa Abubakar, and follow it up with,
E ma pewa, e ma pewa l’Adisa ogo mo o. [Don’t call us Adisa the fool anymore]
Adisa ogo, oju l’anti fun raw a [Adisa is no fool, we just extend respect]
Adisa ogo…….. [Adisa is no fool ……]
Interactive speech prepared to be delivered by H.E. Barr. Hazeem Gbolarumi, at H.E. Atiku Abubakar’s South West Zone Programme, on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at Ibadan.
