By Mary Agidi

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The wife of Ondo State Governor, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, was today given a warm reception at Oniparaga Community in Odigbo Local Government area of the state, where she received hundreds of non-indigenes into the camp of the All Progressives Congress Party, through the Coalition of Non-indigenes for AKETI.
The decampees were from the Zenith Labour Party, People’s Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, ADP, and ADC.
At the event, held at the community hall, a number of notable politicians from other parties, including the PRO of the People’s Democratic Party in Odigbo Constituency 2, and a Councilorship candidate in the just concluded local government elections under ADP decided to pitch their tents with the ruling party, along with their supporters.
Talking about their decision to support Akeredolu’s reelection, the decampees noted that it was obvious APC is the winning party and couldn’t afford to be losers.
Receiving the decampees, Mrs Akeredolu stressed that her commitment to honour the invitation was to demonstrate that the current administration was for all, regardless of tribal and religious affiliation.
According to her, the non-indigenes were minority in the society where they impacted socially and economically, and shouldn’t be left out in government, hence the emergence of the Non-indigene Coalition.
She added that the Ondowidows’care initiative was another evidence that the Akeredolu-led administration didn’t discriminate, as all widows in Ondo State benefited without been screened out based on not being an indigene of Ondo State.
“More often than not, the non-indigenes always complain in the past of negligence and marginalisation. This is a very strong message, and a demonstration that non-indigenes in Ondo State, they matter, their votes count. We want your votes, vote for AKETI and you will not regret.
“We have initiated a registration of non-indigenes in Ondo State, the first of its kind; and like I jokingly tell people that I’m living up to my name, the DIGITAL MAMA, I have been using technology to solve a lot of problems in the state. With the background of a Public Health Professional, I knew what technology can do to solve problems.
“We have demonstrated that in the last intervention that we carried out for widows. Today, we have over 24,000 widows in Ondo State and before now nobody ever thought that we had so many widows in Ondo State but technology at your finger tips make it possible. We have deployed same for the non-indigenes and they are registering through the link, and those we know are not computer literate, we have mobilised our members to volunteer by using their mobile phones to register as many as possible people within their neighbourhood”. She said.
Assuring them of more dividends of governance in the second tenure of Governor Akeredolu, the First Lady urged them to campaign rigorously for APC, stating that the first term was committed to capital projects, affirming that more enjoyment awaited the people of the state if the governor was reelected.
Others in attendance include the Special Assistants to the Governor on Hausa, Igbo and Ebira matters, Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Mrs Margret Akinsuroju, and the Chief Imam of Oniparaga, Sheik Abdurahman who prayed for the victory of the governor.