The prospect of re-electing the member representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Ashafa in 2019 is seen as having more resonance.

Lagos East leaders Saturday threw their weight behind the senator for developing the senatorial district, advancing progressive ideas and empowering the people.

They also commended the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu for his strong support for Ashafa.

“We are on track. The process of re-electing Ashafa in 2019 is expected to be a formality” the leaders said.

At a meeting to chalk out the position of the ruling party on the senatorial seat, the leaders from the five federal constituencies of the senatorial district distanced themselves from the senatorial ambition of a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Chairman, Lagos East Political Forum, Chief Ayo Adeyinka in a statement released in Ikorodu after the meeting said the leaders decided that Ashafa should represent the senatorial district in 2019 because of his sterling performance.

“Senator Ashafa is a blessing to Nigeria. He is brokering the agenda of the South-West in the senate.”

The leaders termed the 2019 senatorial election as very critical and one that will have far reaching impact, citing Ashafa’s grassroots acceptance, leadership qualities and contributions to the progress of the senatorial district.

The leaders lavished praise on the chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport for contributing to the unity and growth of the country.

Specifically, they praised Ashafa for enhancing the welfare of members of his constituency, building classrooms, ICT centres and hall in the senatorial district, providing transformers and streetlights, constructing boreholes for the people, donating entrepreneurial tools, awarding scholarshipsand distributing educational kits and back to school materials to students.

The leaders applauded Ashafa for bringing succour to the constituents through the award of the Ikorodu/ Shagamu Federal Road Project, free medical outreach programmes, social security schemes for the elderly, financial empowerment for widows and widowers, agricultural entrepreneurship training programmes and facilitating loans from Bank of Industry to finance businesses.

They also commended him for providing legislative support to the executive in achieving the complete turnaround of the railway sector in Nigeria, finding solutions to the challenges facing the Nigerian transportation landscape and defending the China Exim Bank loan to finance rail projects.

“Ashafa is an asset to Nigeria. He sponsored the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Amendment Bill 2016, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Bill 2016, the City University of Technology Bill 2016, Sporting Tax Holliday Bill 2016, the Nigerian Postal Bill 2017 and the Nigerian French Language Village Establishment Bill 2017.”

“Ashafa co-sponsored a lot of motions such as Fuel Tankers Tragedies on Nigeria’s Highways, Nigerians Investment in Illicit Global Drugs Trade and Increase in Domestic Drug Abuse by Nigerian Youths, Motion on urgent need for the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies to intervene in the increased rate of kidnapping in the Lagos East Senatorial District and securing the waterways, motion on the outbreak of meningitis; urgent need to curb the spread and stop further deaths, motion on inadequate releases in the 2017 Budget and the need to expedite releases in order to stimulate the economy.

They praised the consummate politician for contributing to bills, motions and matters of national importance.

 “Ashafa co-sponsored the motion on the preventable economic loss and national embarrassment resulting from the failure of the Federal Government to complete the National Library after 11 years, motion on the need to minimize the possibility of air mishaps and near fatalities in Nigeria and motion on the need to enforce stricter driving regulations against petrol tankers, traders and other articulated vehicles across Nigeria.”

To ensure that Nigerians are not left drowning in debt, Ashafa co-sponsored the motion on the urgent need for the Federal Government to redeem local contractors’ debts.

He also co-sponsored the motion on the poor state of infrastructure in Queens College, Lagos, the need to check the rising menace of pharmaceutical drug abuse among youths especially in Northern Nigeria and the need for national unity and peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.

“Senator Ashafa is a few steps ahead of other aspirants,” the leaders from Somolu, Kosofe, Ikorodu, Epe and Ibeju Lekki said.

The meeting was attended by leaders from the 98 wards of Lagos East Senatorial District.

 —By Fidel Njamanze