All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode has emerged Governor-elect of Lagos State.
Ambode was declared winner of the April 11 governorship elections in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, April 12, 2015.
Read the full text of his acceptance speech below:
Fellow
Lagosians, yesterday, election day, History beckoned. Courage stood
tall. Fairness and Justice raised their heads. Democracy blew its
trumpet. You, the people, the electorate, answered its call by marching
to a victory only you could achieve.
You contested
against an old and ancient device, the use of money and power to
manipulate the result and thwart democracy. In the end, the sovereign
will of the people proved worthier than money and mightier than brute
force. Your collective voice remained the voice of Lagos.
Now,
the official announcement from INEC has come. Democracy has triumphed
once again. INEC has declared me the 14th governor-elect of our beloved
Lagos. I know that it is only God that crowns KINGS. To Him be all the
Glory.
I may have won your vote but it is you, the
people, who won the election. The true winners are the people of Lagos
state. I accept this victory on your behalf.
Let
me congratulate INEC for a Job well done and keeping alive Nigeria’s
hope for a brighter democracy. To my main opponent, Mr. Jimi Agbaje of
the PDP, I thank you for a keen contest and invite you, alongside other
gubernatorial candidates, to join hands with me in moving Lagos forward.
The
people of Lagos have spoken. With one voice they have chosen continuity
over an uncertain future. You came out peacefully to cast your vote.
Not even the threats of our opponents to unleash mayhem could have kept
you from having a date with destiny. And because you have answered our
call to come out and vote and handed your party, APC victory at the
polls you have sealed a pact with democracy and good governance.
I
am humbled that you have placed your trust and faith in me. The love of
this state and our common belief in what we can accomplish, our belief
in what this state already is, and in what it is destined to become
binds us together in a social and moral contract of high purpose.
I
shall honor that contract with every fiber of my being. This day I
pledge to you that I shall devote myself to bringing even greater
prosperity, growth and development to every inch of this state, that I
shall build on the legacy and progress of the Bola Tinubu and Babatunde
Fashola administrations, I shall bring the best of Lagos into my
government and I shall make you proud and glad that you chose me as your
next governor.
I thank all those who voted for
me. And even those who did not vote for me or never voted at all. To the
electorate, I salute and applaud all of you for making this a fine day
in the march towards Nigeria’s democracy.
The
people of Lagos have demonstrated that Lagos is not about ethnicity or
religion but about a common desire to enthrone good governance. Lagos
under my watch will not discriminate. It has not in the past. And will
not in the present. Not even in the future. There will be no political
victimization. Like in the words of the former American President,
Abraham Lincoln during his second Inaugural address, “With Malice toward
none, with Charity for all …”
In your collective
wisdom, you refused to reward a party that failed at the national level
by giving that party the stewardship of our beloved Lagos.
Continuity of progress shall govern this state in the next four years under the banner of the APC.
History
has been made this day because you have achieved an outstanding feat.
By affirming your faith in the APC and in me, you have, for the first
time in 60years, married progressive governance at the national level
with progressive government at the state level.
Finally,
our state government and the federal government will be of one vision,
one mind and one accord and that is to govern you wisely not rule over
you rudely.
The ramifications of this harmonious
unity are completely positive. This is a chance that we have worked
toward for many years. The joint infrastructural and employment projects
and collaboration between the state and the federal will quicken the
improvement of our roads, schools, power generation and the entire array
of social services. This new era of cooperation between the state and
federal government promises to be a golden period for Lagos and for all
Lagosians to share equally therein.
Lagos will
enjoy optimal development and growth through APC governance working in
tandem at the state and federal levels. This cooperation and enhanced
policy harmony will surely pay handsome dividends.
Let
me again place on record my thanks, particularly to the Lagos state
chapter of the APC, everyone from the State chairman to the volunteers
have been wonderful and committed. My campaign team, who worked
tirelessly with me to actualize this dream, I thank you all.
I
thank President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari for lending his stature
and charisma to our effort. I look forward to working with his incoming
government to effectuate the APC vision and bring greater progress to
the entire nation.
There are two men I must single
out. Governor Babatunde Fashola; you have been excellent at the job.
You have taught me a lot. Moreover, you have been a tireless, selfless
and inspiring campaigner for this cause.
Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu; you are the greatest political mind of our generation.
Without your vision, and dedication to a higher political purpose none
of this would have been possible. This day vindicates all that you have
done. You are a foremost hero of Nigerian democracy and you still have
more to do.
I thank my running mate, Dr. Idiat
Oluranti Adebule, for her steadfast and strong support. She will surely
be an excellent Deputy Governor.
I thank my wife
and children for the sacrifices they have made over the past two years
to support me on this journey. I look forward to the same support.
There
is no way I can name everyone at this time that should be named. So
please forgive me, knowing that I appreciate your contribution and
sacrifice made to turn a distant dream into this imminent reality.
We
ran a campaign devoid of hatred and concentrated on key issues
affecting our people. We are proud of this achievement and encourage
other politicians to embrace this paradigm shift.
I
have been declared the victor in this election but this is no time for
gloating or boasting. I am now to be the servant of this state in its
entirety, not just for APC members but for all Lagosians no matter their
political stripes, ethnicity or religious affiliations.
Today,
we celebrate democracy and its triumph. Tomorrow, we get to work to
fashion an incoming administration that, with the best management team
Lagos has to offer, will carry forward the legacy of the progressive
administrations that preceded it.
You have voted
for me. Now, I shall work for you and your cause. That cause is to
extend and expand the process of development and growth in this state.
The
task ahead is not an easy one. Nor is it impossible. With wisdom,
creativity and strength of purpose we can accomplish great things for
this great state. By God’s grace, we shall make this our way. The only
sure way to achieve change.
