The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has adopted the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party ADP, in Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, as its consensus candidate for the March 9 elections.
The Secretary General of the coalition in the state, Mr Gboyega Adeniji, disclosed this at a news conference in Ikeja on Wednesday.
According to him, CUPP adopted Gbadamosi because of its conviction that he had the passion and credentials to move the state forward.
Adeniji said Gbadamosi’s adoption was influenced by his practical and development-oriented manifesto.
He explained that the adoption of Gbadamosi meant that all the 35 parties under the coalition would work for the candidate’s victory on March 9.
“We are endorsing Gbadamosi and adopting him as our consensus candidate today because we are convinced that his passion to make Lagos achieve her potential is second to none.
“His manifesto is as forward-looking as it is practical and realistic. Moreover, his election shall make him the first indigenous governor of the state in the past 20 years.
“We therefore urge every well-meaning eligible voter in Lagos to vote Gbadamosi as the next executive governor of Lagos State,” Adeniji said.
Asked if the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which is the arrow-head of CUPP, was part of the endorsement, he failed to give a definite response but said only 35 parties out of the 65 opposition parties in the CUPP at the national level were part of the adoption.
READ ALSO: Turaki’s Arrest, Attempt to Derail Atiku’s Suit Against Buhari – CUPP
Adeniji noted that Lagos state deserved a better deal in governance and it was on that basis that CUPP in the state decided to adopt Gbadamosi for development.
In his reaction, Gbadamosi thanked the coalition for adopting him, and promised not to disappoint them and the people of the state if elected.
“I want to thank the coalition for this initiative, I am very grateful. I think the biggest member of the CUPP is the PDP.
“And they were the biggest beneficiary when it adopted Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate. I am happy I am the beneficiary in Lagos and I hope to be able to carry the aspirations of the political parties that adopted me and deliver real governance.
Gbadamosi acknowledged the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos, which he said had thrived on the contributions of people from different parts of the country.
