By Grace Omachoko
Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has congratulated former Osun State Governor and first interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande on the occasion of his 85th birthday.
The Governor in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, said Chief Akande’s legacies as a nationalist, statesman, political leader, democrat and impact maker have contributed to the development of Osun State, Southwest and Nigeria as a whole.
He noted that Chief Akande has become a respected voice in the Nigerian federation in critical times and a man whose influence and honour resonate across party lines in search for a united and indivisible nation.
The Ekiti Chief Executive pointed out that Chief Akande would forever be celebrated as one of the leading lights of the then fledgling APC which he nurtured alongside other party leaders to become a strong election winning platform transmuted from an opposition party to a ruling party.
Governor Oyebanji described Chief Akande as an exemplary leader contemporary political office holders and aspiring politicians should emulate for building a good name that has survived the unpredictable terrain of politics in Nigeria.
According to him, Chief Akande is a political legend whose virtues of accountability, transparency and selfless service to humanity should be continued to be celebrated as ingredients of purposeful leadership needed by the masses.
He noted that the celebrant is a study in political fidelity judging by his loyalty to his political leader, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Awoism as an ideology as an instrument of social change.
Governor Oyebanji said Chief Akande has consistently upheld the ideals of pro-people progressivism and was subsequently rewarded with enviable political positions like Secretary to the State Government and Deputy Governor in old Oyo State and Governor in Osun State.
He said the government and the people of Ekiti State identify with Chief Akande on his 85th birthday and would always wish him well for more service to Nigeria in years ahead.
