Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has tasked a newly sworn-in Senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke to serve his people in Osun West Senatorial District after securing electoral victory.
Adesina described Adeleke’s electoral victory over the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as having reflected a new era of “bridge building’’ in Nigeria’s democracy which he said, will further strengthen political institutions for future elections.
The Presidential spokesman, who spoke today, Tursday, when he received Senator Adeleke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the overwhelming electoral victory showed that people in the Senatorial District jettisoned party affiliations for a preferred candidate that would serve them in the National Assembly.
“The expectations from you will be obviously very high because your late brother, Sen. Isiaka Adeleke, was very popular, large-hearted and kind to a lot of people, and I know you are getting ready to fill the big shoes.”
Adesina said that Nigeria’s democracy had undergone many tests over the years with commendable outcomes, assuring the senator that his victory at the polls had shown the world that voters were getting more conscious of their right to choose their leaders.
Senator Adeleke responded by admitting that he gained much from the goodwill of his late elder brother across Osun State, adding that he was well received at the senate and was given his late brother’s office in the complex.
“I was having fun during the campaign and enjoying my dance because my brother had done 70 per cent of the job with his historical goodwill right from when he became an Executive Governor in 1991. I was always with him. I want to follow his footsteps and may God help me.’
Adeleke said that he had already put a framework in place to ensure that all his promises to the electorate are fully delivered. Such promises, he said, including sustaining the legacy of promoting good education through scholarships and healthcare for the people, especially the under privileged.
“My brother laid a good foundation for me, but I would have preferred if he was around and had probably decided to retire at a good old age, instead of stepping into his shoes when he passed on.”[myad]
