The quiet town of Iseyin in Oyo State was thrown into loud jubilation on Monday afternoon as Mr Saheed Adejare’s name was pasted by INEC as the running mate to Action Democratic Congress (ADC) gubernatorial candidate, Sen.Femi Lanlehin.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC had on Friday pasted names of candidates and their running mates for all the parties participating in the state at the Commission’s head office in Ibadan.
Some of Iseyin residents and party faithful who spoke with NAN during the jubilation, expressed satisfaction and happiness over the choice of Adejare.
Adejare, a philanthropist, was a former caretaker chairman of Iseyin Local Government for four years.
ADC’s leader in Iseyin, Alhaji Lekan Kazeem, said “Even though names were pasted in Ibadan on Friday, we didn’t get to see it at Iseyin INEC office until this afternoon that we truly confirmed it and you can see how happy we are to see his name as our party’s governorship running mate.
“Today is one of the best days of our life as people, we are not just happy but extremely happy, we are pleased and elated.
Another chieftain of the party, Mr Jide Bambi, opined that the choice of Adejare would ensure victory for the party in the general elections.
“You call him Saheed Adejare, we call him Alaran; our man is very popular and capable of ensuring victory for our party in all the 10 council areas of our zone.
“ Today is special in the history of our town and that of Oke-Ogun with 10 council areas, it is now certain that we are marching to victory with this choice.
Speaking with NAN, Alaran as popular called by his political associates and admirers, expressed happiness over the party’s decision to pick him.
“I am really humbled and happy by the decision of our party to pair me with Sen. Femi Lanlehin as our party’s standard bearer in the forth-coming gubernatorial elections.
“I wish to thank all our leaders who made this possible, our national leader, Sen. Rashidi Ladoja, the State’s working committee chairman, Mr Hamed Ayinla, Alhaji Busari Adebisi and Chief Michael Koleoso among others.
“Let me assure all our party faithful that I will not disappoint them, I will at all times work with our gubernatorial candidate to establish a government that can all be proud of anytime and anywhere,” he said.
NAN further reports that the jubilant residents, singing and dancing across major roads of the town , went through the popular Oluwole, Enkule, and Oja-Oba to Iseyin monarch palace who was not available to receive them.
