The leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikeja Federal Constituency, Lagos State, yesterday, urged members and supporters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate in the 2023 general election next month.
    
The members also hailed the party leadership in the state for giving the incumbent House of Representatives member, James Abiodun Faleke, another opportunity to represent the constituency for the fourth term, in the forthcoming elections, promised to work for his victory in the re- election, come February 25, 2023.
   
The party stakeholders, including Vice- Chairman, Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Olubunmi Oluyadi; APC Chairman in the council, Alhaja Olusola Kokumo; Pa Matthew Adesanya, Kehinde Kelvin Ajakaye, Chief Tunji Ojo, Yomi Balogun, member of APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC); Wale Ajala, Chief (Mrs.) Tutu Ogundele, among others, disclosed this at a gathering organised by Bolaji Soneye and attended by hundreds of constituents to honour and throw support for Faleke for the development he had brought to the constituency.
   
The constituents, while expressing appreciation to the party leadership, conveyed their delight to have a lawmaker, who was equally a two- term chairman of Ojodu LCDA as their representative for the fourth time in the lower chamber, declaring that Faleke had represented Ikeja Federal Constituency very well and his tenure impacted the constituency.
  
According to them, this is evident through the empowerment programmes members of his constituency have enjoyed, which have created job opportunities for others, thereby, making the constituency vibrant and buoyant.
  
In his welcome address, Soneye, also a member of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), said Faleke used his office to attract many federal projects to his constituency that impacted the lives of Ikeja residents, noting that the sterling qualities and outstanding performance of Faleke was what endeared him to the party’s Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
  
He said that Faleke would attract more development if given another opportunity to represent the constituency. APC chairman in Ojodu LCDA, Alhaja Kokumo challenged members to mobilise support for the candidature of Faleke, Tinubu, the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and all APC candidates in the forthcoming elections, even as she urged all those who registered to vote, to go and collect their PVCs.
  
The party chieftain stressed that it was only by turning out to vote in large numbers that their wishes and ambition could be realised, just as she appealed to members of the party, that election period was not a good time to keep malice, saying those who were nursing malice should “reconcile with those they have grudges with and try to convince more people to vote the APC in the general elections.”
 
Another chieftain of the party Olawale Ajala, who lauded Faleke for delivering dividends of democracy to his constituents, educated the electorate on what they needed to do to safeguard their votes and make them count. 
  
According to him, they must ensure vote cast at each polling unit is captured and transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) server by the returning officers, just as he appealed to the electorate to behave themselves when they get to the polling unit, “because with the new Electoral Law, the presiding officer at any polling unit has the power to dismiss any potential voter that is unruly on the day of election.”
   
In his own remark, Yomi Balogun, who is also member of PCC, said Faleke was being backed by his constituents because he had done a lot for them through road projects, installation of street lights, among others.
   
Balogun urged those in attendance to collect their PVCs as well as encourage other constituents to do so, and go to vote in the forthcoming elections for Asiwaju Tinubu for president, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for governor, Faleke for House of Representatives and all other APC candidates.