The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has described the just registered All Progressive Congress (APC) as the stone that will kill the Goliath. Fashola spoke today at the formal lowering of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) flag and hosting of the APC flag in Ikeja, Lagos.
He said that in the past people have often said that the ACN was not large enough to confront the Goliath irrespective of the successes recorded in the party, adding that today; the APC remains the stone that will confront the Goliath.
“Bad governance has continued in spite of successes we have made in the former party ACN because people feel that we are not large enough to bulk the goliath, but today with the APC, the Goliath now has a stone and the Goliath will fall”, he said adding that there is a stone for every Goliath.
“This is the stone for that Goliath. I don’t like to mention the name of the Goliath, but we have provided the choice, the choice that articulate the possibility for a better choice, all of these we will address as our programme unfolds”, the governor said.
He expressed gratitude to the eleven governors and leaders of the merged parties. “I do so in behalf of all the people of this country who are looking for an alternative vehicle of expression of their aspiration for a better party. I thank them for the sense of sacrifice”, the governor said adding that the tortuous road was worth the effort, noting that people have made sacrifice for the APC to emerge.
“People have to show that they are master of their ego and not slave of their ego. People surrendered position in a true spirit of brotherhood and commonality of purpose to save this country of what is now clearly bad governance. I salute their sense of sacrifice. There will still be more sacrifice to be made. All of us must learn from this sacrifice that all these people have made. We must remember it every time we move forward, we must remember it anything we do anything in the name of APC because for us to have a bigger and better party, it will require many more people to make more sacrifice and I hope we are ready. Because it is no longer about individual, it is about the nation. This is no longer the issue of merger, it is about history, it has never happen before, all of your are part of history, you have crossed a major political threshold for this country”, he said.
The governor thanked INEC, adding that the umpire has done well but that more still needed to be done, noting that the message of the now moribund ACN to INEC then was for it to stand on the party of the people, constitutionality and the rule of law, adding that more work lies ahead.
Also speaking at the crowded event, Chairman of the former ACN, Otunba Henry Ajomale said the APC has become an albatross for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), nothing that he is happy that the busy travels to and fro Abuja in the past three months was rewarded and thanked God that the planes that conveyed them all these while did not crash.
The deputy governor of Lagos, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and other party members and chairmen of local governments in the state were present at the event.
