By: Femi Adeleye
As members of the lower Chamber of the 10th National Assembly jostle for Principal offices and following indication that the party have agreed to zone the position of the Deputy Speaker to South West, the leadership of All Progressives Congress, APC and members-elect from the South West region should take a stance and ensure the position is given to an experience thoroughbred representative who has a track record that can stand up against any kind of honest scrutiny. That person is Rt. Hon. Abiodun Isiaq Akinlade, a fourth term elected member of the House of Representatives from Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency of Ogun State.
As South Westerners, we cannot afford to shortchange ourselves. It is for this reason that we must look before we leap. We must carefully weigh the options before us and, measured by certain parameters, determine who is chosen from the region.
We must be guided by facts and not just sentiments which are oftentimes misleading. Hon. Abiodun Akinlade has a proven track record of good performance and loyalty. He has been tested and can be trusted. The evidence is littered in the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly and Ogun State that he hails from.
Akinlade’s pacesetting and frontline leadership are glaring for all men and women of goodwill to judge. It is very imperative to embark on aggressive advocacy and sensitisation campaigns to ensure that he’s rewarded with the position of deputy speaker.
The reward for a job well done is even more responsibility. Hon. Akinlade has represented and served his constituents and Ogun State well. Hence, I have no doubt that he will match and supersede the exceptionally high standards he has already set for himself. I have seen in him a sacrificial leader who is willing to courageously stand by and with his people; I have seen in him a visionary leader, but most importantly, I have seen in him a God fearing leader.
He has never been willing to be politically correct while allowing the future of his people to be mortgaged. He has continually chart paths to change the course of Yewaland history and Ogun State as a whole for good.
He is eminently qualified and no doubt deserved the exalted position of the deputy speaker of the 10th House of Assembly.
