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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday reiterated that the ruling party under President Muhammadu Buhari would adjust the style in the running of affairs of the nation towards fighting the odds confronting the country and her citizens. He also called on Nigerians to support President Buhari and the ruling APC in their resolve to remove all the “thieves” and “looters who believe it is their birthright to continue to loot; those who say that their purpose in government is for juicy positions not for the welfare of the people”. The pledge emerged on a day Benin City, the ancient capital town of Edo State, stood still with APC leaders, elders, youths and markets shut to welcome Oshiomhole at the Benin International Airport, following his election as the chairman of APC. The APC faithful had converged on the airport as early as 7:30am yesterday after been mobilised in over 60 commercial buses and eight luxurious buses, in solidarity for the former governor of the state.

It would be recalled that youths and groups loyal to the APC in the state had in their thousands on Thursday stormed the Benin airport for over nine hours in wait for the National chairman of the party but left home after it was learnt that his movement was diverted to Bauchi State for a political rally. Oshiomhole, who addressed the mammoth crowd, assured them that the APC, “will not borrow the style of other people, particularly, that of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), rather the party and government would jointly deploy those viable “values into the leadership and management of the APC”, for a better Nigeria with hope and improved condition for the masses. He also pledged that he would also, “ensure that working together with President Buhari, that government focuses on the people; that government will not focus on the welfare of the few at the expense of the majority; that government must do everything possible to ensure that those who work have something to show for their labour.”

Oshiomhole said: “I am very, very grateful and humbled. I want to make a promise to you, that I will represent the feelings, the aspirations and I will meet your expectations as far as the running of the All Progressives Congress is concerned. “At this point I am very clear, we will have to fight odds on the basis of our conviction and we will adjust our style; we will not borrow other people’s style. I am very proud of my working class background and we will bring those values into the leadership and management of the APC.”

“I will ensure working together with President Buhari that government focuses on the people; that government will not focus on the welfare of the few at the expense of the majority; that government must do everything possible to ensure that those who work have something to show for their labour. “We must support the President and the APC to remove all those thieves, all those looters who believe it is their birthright to continue to loot; those who say that their purpose in government is for juicy not for the welfare of the people. “For a party that is committed to the people which I have agreed to lead, we must engage and engage and proattack whether they call me attack dog. I will rather be an attack dog than be a mushroom eater.”