National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; the chairman of the party’s National Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Chairman, APC National Campaign Council for Ondo State Governorship election and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governors and other party leaders on Saturday stormed Akure, the capital of Ondo State to drum support for the re-election bid of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu ahead of the October 10 governorship election.

The party leaders who included former interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande; Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum, Senator Atiku Bagudu, Deputy Chairman, APC National Campaign Council, Simon Lalung; Governors Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Abdulrahman Abdulrazak (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Abdulahi Sule (Nassarawa), Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipreye Slyva and former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, among others appealed to the people of Ondo State to come out in large numbers to vote for APC during the governorship poll.

In a related development, all the traditional rulers in Ondo State unanimously endorsed Governor Akeredolu and his running mate, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa and promised to work toward continuity of APC administration in the State.

Speaking during a meeting with the traditional rulers in Akure after he commissioned Ondo State Revenue House, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said APC leaders in the state as well as South-West and national level are united to ensure that Akeredolu is re-elected in the forthcoming election.

Tinubu urged all the traditional rulers in the state not to relent in their support towards Akeredolu’s re-election, urging them to implore their subjects and people to work tirelessly for the Ondo State Governor’s second term.

He also implored the people of the state not to allow opposition to win the state, noting that voting for APC would be an added advantage to the South-West’s quest for 2023 presidency.

He said: “We are all united to work for Akeredolu’s re-election so that APC will continue to govern Ondo State and other states in the country. We commissioned Revenue House today. Governor Akeredolu has performed very well and he deserves to be re-elected based on his performance and achievements in office in his first term.

“I want to implore all traditional rulers to endorse Akeredolu and work for his re-election. His re-election is in the interest of the people of Ondo State and Yoruba land at large. As the ruling party at the federal level, we should allow continuity in Ondo State.”

Speaking during the flag-off of APC governorship campaign at the Akure Stadium, Governor Sanwo-Olu appealed to the people of the sunshine State to vote for Akeredolu, who he described as a progressive man that has brought real development to Ondo State during his first term in office.

He said: “We are here today to campaign for Governor Akeredolu and his re-election has been endorsed by traditional rulers in the State. Akeredolu has really performed well during his first term in office and his achievements are visible in different parts of the state.

“On behalf of the National Campaign Council, I want to appreciate all of you. I want to say to you that Ondo State is receiving first class governance. Ondo State is receiving a progressive man that has brought about real development. Aketi has done well and I want you to re-elect him. Thank you for your support. We will see you in October for a resounding victory for Aketi.”

Presenting the party’s flag to Akeredolu, Governor Buni said APC is united and the party will work toward winning the election.

He said the party’s campaign for the APC candidate is easy because Governor Akeredolu has delivered dividends of democracy to the people of Ondo State in the last four years.

Governor Buni also welcomed business mogul, Chief Jimoh Ibrahim and former Commissioner in the State, Femi Adekambi and others who defected to APC during the event into the fold of the ruling party in Ondo State.

Speaking at the event, Governor Akeredolu commended all his colleagues and other party leaders and members as well as people of Ondo State for turning out in thousands to witness the APC governorship campaign flag-off.

He appealed to the people of Ondo State to vote for him in the October 10 governorship poll.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked governors of the Southwest states not to let their membership of the ruling party deter them from continuing with the struggle for true fiscal federalism.

The former Lagos state Governor who spoke at the commissioning of the newly built Internal Revenue Service office which was constructed by the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu administration in Ondo on Saturday said the fact that the governors are members of APC does not mean that they cannot criticize the present Nigeria’s revenue allocation formular .

He noted that with the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Osun counterpart, Isiaka Oyetola’s background in finance and Akeredolu as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria among others, Southwest governors should be at the forefront of the struggle to ensure that revenue allocation in Nigeria conform to fiscal federalism.

Tinubu, said he has noticed various encroachments of the federal government into matters which should be in the domain of the states and the governors should not be afraid to ask questions about them.

He said, “Three of you should be consistent in the level of financial inquisitiveness as to where, why and when the revenue allocation mechanism will be consistent with the fiscal federalism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“There are various encroachments that I have noticed and with you (Governor Akeredolu) as a SAN and the rest of the financial people among you, you can be highly intellectually inquisitive and you can reform the reform- able that is a federal bottleneck today.

Thank you for seeing the need that this internally generated revenue must take off from a very good atmosphere.

“And as you continue that too, as I said, questions and query what element of stamp duty is that of federal allocation and what element of the transaction belong to the states and why are we getting involved in what should be the residual matter of the state? Why the encroachment? – Telling each other the truth, not smiling all the time, even in the same family of twins, they do argue, they do ask questions – We will not be afraid to ask questions and do the right things for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The former Lagos State Governor commended the Ondo State Governor for laying a good foundation for the overall development of the state.

Tinubu said Akeredolu has done more than talk development and dedicated himself and his administration to bringing development to the state.

He noted that since the Governor came on board in 2016, he has had his hands on the plough, recording one milestone after another.

“Among the laudable projects he has launched is the Ore Industrial Hub which was commissioned by President Buhari. That industrial hub will bring needed employment and economic development to the deserving people living in the Ore vicinity.

“Step by step, project by project, industrial hub by industrial hub is how we construct the foundation for durable progress and prosperity. Governor Akeredolu has done more than talk development; he has dedicated himself and his government to bringing development to this state,” Tinubu said.

Earlier in his remark, Governor Akeredolu said his administration inherited a monthly Internally Generated Revenue if not more than N700million.

Governor Akeredolu noted that before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state was already generating N2billion monthly.

He said: “When we took over the administration of the State in 2017, one of our strongest desires was to change the Tax narratives of the State and generate the ambience of modern tax processes and collection.

“I am very sure you will all agree with me that Revenue is the live wire of any administration which craves success. Some of the numerous challenges inherited by this Administration, in our bid to actualize the aforementioned desire, was the menace of a notorious tax system and a Board of Internal Revenue that was moribund and ineffectual.

“Revenue generation activities were stifled, all operations were manual, a disenchanted workforce, 15 vehicles out of 23 were grounded. There was also a cumbersome process of tax payment which ensured that Tax Payers waited for days to pay at the bank and spent even more days to get their receipts. They would consider themselves lucky to get documents evidencing transactions.

“Here in Akure, the State capital, where the head office was dirty and the operations chaotic, the Board was operating under the Personal Income Tax 2004 and ignoring completely all the amendments to the law in 2011. There was also no domestication of the Federal Law to grant some form of financial and administrative autonomy to the Board of Internal revenue. This made their access to funds for their operations tedious. In fact, the board only got running grant for 9 out of 12 months in 2016 as a result of sloppiness.”