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  • We’re not  enemies despite litigation, says governor

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has said he and former governor, Chief Segun Oni, are not enemies despite legal battle.

    Fayemi said the litigation instituted against him challenging his eligibility to contest the July 14 gubernatorial election in the state doesn’t translate to enmity.

    The governor, who ordered the stoppage of the Ekiti Kete House of Arts, the standing band of the local APC singing “E wa wo yeye Segun lode,” which means “Come and see Segun (Oni) ridiculing himself in the public, said Oni was right to have gone to court since he felt strongly about a position.

    Fayemi, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti during the swearing in of the Head of Service, Mr. Ayodeji Ajayi, said his victory at the Supreme Court  would afford the state to move forward and end all contentions about his emergence.

    The governor said the apex court judgment showed that he resigned in line with the constitutional provision and that the primaries of the party, which produced him as All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in 2018, was free, fair and credible.

    “Ekiti must move forward. Enough of these distractions. Enough of these recriminations over matters that ought not go to court…

    ”Now that the highest court in the land has pronounced definitely on it, I hope he would  play a more active role in the party.

    “Oni, to the best of my knowledge, remains a member of the APC. I don’t believe he has elected to remove himself from the party. But I think this would not lead to another round of recriminations and attacks,” Fayemi said.

    He, however, urged Oni to take a cue from the  judgement and contribute to the success of the party.

    The governor urged the new HoS to be upright and provide the right leadership for the civil service, urging him to justify the confidence repose in him through effective service delivery.

    The governor added that Ajayi emerged from a rigorous exercise carried out under the policy code named Civil Service Transformation Strategy used by his administration during the first tenure and reintroduced during his second coming.

  • When will Ogun West produce governor?

    The Ogun West Senatorial District has not produced governor since the creation of the state 43 years ago. LEKE SALAUDEEEN examines reasons why the seat has continued to elude the zone.

    Will Ogun West Senatorial District ever produce governor in Ogun State? Can it break the jinx?

    Two times, the zone came close to govern the state, but the chances were frittered because it failed to speak with one voice. The zone, made up of Yewa and Awori people, has not had the opportunity since it was created 43 years ago. The other two senatorial districts are: Ogun Central populated by the Egbas and Ogun East constituted by the Ijebu and Remo. They have been monopolising the office.

    In the just concluded election, Ogun West presented two candidates  on different platforms. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) inspired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo fielded serial contestant Gboyega Isiaka as its candidate. Similarly, Governor Ibikunle Amosun adopted the Allied Peoples’ Movement to enable his anointed candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, contest the election.  Amosun’s action was a fall out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary. The governor claimed that Akinlade emerged winner during the primary conducted by the party executive in the state. The APC National Working Committee said only the electoral panel set up by it had the right to conduct primaries. Thus, the NWC ratified Dapo Abiodun who emerged at the primary supervised by the panel as party candidate.

    Both Isiaka and Akinlade are from the West Senatorial District. Curiously, their sponsors, Obasanjo and Amosun, hail from Ogun Central District. The idea of giving the Yewa/Awori people a chance to produce  Amosun’s successor in 2019 was very popular among stakeholders before the election. Obasanjo and Amosun had agreed that the zone would produce the next governor. To demonstrate his commitment, Obasanjo said “the zone should be allowed to produce Amosun’s successor, in the interest of equity and justice” He said it was unfair that the zone has not produced governor since the state was created over four decades ago.  The former President warned that, if you don’t make Yewa and Awori people to feel that they belong, you are inviting trouble and breeding fertile ground for terrorism in the state.

    Amosun had made it known in 2015 that he would ensure that a Yewa/Awori indigene succeeds him in office. He made it a campaign issue in 2015 when he was seeking re-election at a parley with the political leaders from the zone. Analysts said it was in a bid to fulfil the promise that Amosun stuck out his neck to ensure Akinlade won the governorship election. He defied party supremacy, sponsored and openly campaigned for Akinlade against the APC flag bearer, Abiodun. The consequence is that Amosun was suspended by the APC. The NWC had also recommended him for expulsion from the party .

    The first time the West District came close to producing governor was in 2011, when two of their sons contested for the coveted seat on different platforms. The political rivalry between Obasanjo and former Governor Gbenga Daniel denied the zone the opportunity. The state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was polarised in the build up to the election. The Obasanjo group held a primary that produced General Adetunji Olurin (retd) as governorship candidate of the PDP, while the Daniel faction formed the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) to enable its candidate, Isiaka, vie for the governorship. Olurin and Isiaka hail from Yewa. The hope of their people was dashed as they lost to Amosun of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) then.

    In Ogun, there exists an unwritten agreement between the Egba and Ijebu on the zoning of governorship. Ogun Central and East Districts alternate power. The late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, who governed from 1979 to 1983 and Daniel from 2003 to 2011 are from Ogun East. Similarly, the Central District has produced two governors: Chief Olusegun Osoba (1991 to 1993 and 1999 to 2003) and  Amosun, who has been in power since 2011.

    The struggle by Yewa for the seat dated back to the Second Republic when the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), led by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was to pick its governorship candidate. An indigene of Yewa, the late Senator Jonathan Odebiyi, vied for the UPN ticket against Onabanjo. Odebiyi lost the shadow election to Onabanjo from the East. Instead, Odebiyi contested for the senatorial seat, which he won. Again, in 1991, an illustrious son of Yewa, Professor Afolabi Olabimtan, sought for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ticket. He lost the primary to Chief Osoba by a narrow margin.

    Analysts believe that the consistent failure of the Yewa/Awori people to agree on the choice of candidate has been the major impediment against their ambition to produce governor. They lamented that the greatest mistake of the zone in 2011 was repeated in 2019. They recalled that, in 2011, the zone produced two governorship candidates. Again in 2019, five candidates came out. They include Akinlade (APM), Isiaka (ADC), Oluseyi Olowookere (Alliance for Democracy),  John Agboola (AAP) and Adewale Omoniyi (ANRP). If they have used their bloc vote advantage for one of the candidates, it would have been a different story. A community leader in Yewa said at a time we realised that Isiaka would not win but we couldn’t ask him to step down for Akinlade.

    The Asiwaju of Yewaland, Professor Anthony Asiwaju said the endorsement of Isiaka as candidate was to avoid a repeat of the past. “We held meetings and we agreed GNI (Isiaka) should be our candidate; that was how he became our consensus candidate,” he said. While explaining his effort in realising an Ogun West governor, Asiwaju recalled that there was a cordial relationship between him and the state Governor Ibikunle Amosun, until he advised him to support the candidature of Isiaka.

    He said: “The going was good between me and the governor because he said he would support an Ogun West candidate for governor. In fact, a meeting was held in Ota and I decided not to say anything, but the governor insisted that I should talk along three others. But when what happened in APC happened and i heard that he (Amosun) would remain in the APC, I wrote to him. I told him that I didn’t think that things would go as expected with the APM development. It seems that was where I offended him”.

    The Coordinator of Ogun West Stakeholders Forum, Dr Kunle Salako said: “The struggle for an Ogun West governor had gone through its eighth circle, numbering 43 years since the creation of the state. But despite the huge investment materially and emotionally, the goal of the struggle remains unachievable. In terms of structure, grassroots penetration, clear identity, visibility, national spread and internal cohesion, we asked ourselves which of these political parties was best suited for this all important journey and we discovered and agreed that it is Gboyega Nasir Isiaka.”

    Before the general elections, there was internal bickering in Ogun West. The Yewa people who constitute the four local governments of Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko-Afon and Ipokia could not agree among themselves.  They were vehemently opposed to Ilaro in producing the governor. The argument was that the few developments, which the zone has benefitted under the military and democratic dispensations, were mainly in Ilaro and should not be allowed to produce the governor in the interest of equity and fairness. Besides, the Awori people also complained against the dominant Yewa. The Aworis were not favourably disposed to the governor coming from Yewa. Of the five local governments in Ogun West, Awori has one. They premised their argument on the excuse that Yewa with four local governments that had benefitted immensely from all the developments accruable to the district should not produce governor.

    A politician from Ogun East confided in our correspondent that the office would continue to elude the zone for as long as they failed to speak with one voice. Other zones would continue to take advantage of their disunity to win governorship election in the state. He said their disunity, egocentric and lack of political compromise manifested more during the 2019 election.

    However, a political activist, Yomi Aderibigbe, advised the Egba and Ijebu people to realise that Ogun State is a tripod and that Yewa/Awori people have equal rights to aspire to any position including governorship seat. He said: “They should abide with the zoning formula which has become a permanent feature in Nigerian politics. The idea of treating a group of people inconsequential is unhealthy. If it persists, the people of Yewa/Awori will react violently.”

    But, a governorship aspirant on the platform of APC, Jimi Lawal, said power rotates between Ijebu and Egba in Ogun State. He said: “We have two provinces in Ogun: Ijebu province and Egba province. Egba has a sub division- Egbado or Yewa/Awori; Ijebu has a sub division- Remo. An Ijebu man had been a governor, so when the chance came back to Ijebu province again, they said let us go to Remo. Egba man had been a governor in the person of Chief Olusegun Osoba and when it went back to Egba province, which was supposed to be given to Yewa, Amosun got it. So, Governor Amosun could not have used the Egba/ Egbado tenure and come back to say Egba/Egbado again. It is not possible.”

    A community leader in Yewa, Chief Olasunkanmi Elegbede said, what played out in 2011 and 2019 was part of the grand conspiracy to stop Ogun West from ever producing governor. He said: “Obasanjo who fielded Olurin in 2011 is from Ogun Central and Daniel who sponsored Isiaka hails from Ogun East. The conspiracy paved the way for Amosun from Ogun Central to emerge as governor. Again Obasanjo drafted Isiaka in 2019 while Amosun sponsored Akinlade, the conspiracy made it possible for Dapo Abiodun from Ogunn East to win the governorship election.” He said both Ogun Central and East districts are in the habit of forming alliances to facilitate the emergence of one of their sons as the governor, at the expense of the Ogun West.

    Elegbede added: “The people of Yewa/Awori have learnt bitter lessons from their failed attempts to produce governor. The unsuccessful attempts would not stop us from fighting for our rights. Next time, we will speak with one voice. If all registered political parties pick their candidates from Ogun West, we will decide which party to cast our votes for. We will use our bloc vote to break the jinx. We have had enough of divide and rule tactics.”

     

  • Judgment won’t stand, says Osun APC

    In a swift reaction to the judgment yesterday, the APC in Osun State rejected the Election Petition Tribunal’s verdict.

    A statement issued by the APC’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in Osun State, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, yesterday said “the verdict cannot stand superior legal scrutiny. Therefore we will appeal against it.”

    The Osun State Government also urged the people to remain calm and go about their lawful activities following the tribunal judgment.

    It reassured the people of their safety as well as the security of their property, saying that the “government of the State is still the only legitimate Government having the authority to govern the State.”

    The statement said an appeal on the judgment had been filed.

    A statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Mr. Wole Oyebamiji, said: “The Government of the State of Osun wishes to appreciate the teeming support of the majority of the people in all things essential for mutual progress.

    “As it is, the administration of His Excellency, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, Governor, State of Osun, wishes to assure the people that the judgment of the Election Tribunal has been put on appeal.

    “This is to further assure all the residents of the State of adequate security of lives and properties, as the Government of the State is still the only legitimate Government having the authority to govern the State.

    “We assure all our people that justice will prevail at last, and the law enforcement agencies have been instructed to maintain law and order across the state.

    “We, therefore, urge all the residents of the state to go about their lawful duties without any hindrance.”

  • Buhari’s victory good for Nigeria, says Attah

    EX-Akwa Ibom State Governor Victor Attah has described the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the election as the triumph of the will of the people, and a death knell for the three power blocs that have  exerted their manipulative influence on the country.

    This, he added, would provide the opportunity for the President to set the stage for  restructuring.

    Obong Attah, who spoke at a news conference in Lagos yesterday, said Buhari’s second term would bring to an end the influence of the two major parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as that of retired military officers that had been directing the political game from behind the scenes.

    The ex-governor noted that Nigerians would not have been able to withstand the arrogance and excesses PDP would unleash on the country, if its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had won the election.

    He said it took Atiku in 2019 to galvanise the party to give Buhari a run for his money, and that with the ex-Vice President not likely to run in 2023, the party’s fortune would change for the worse.

    For APC, Attah said it was the President that had been holding the party together, and that soon Nigerians would be singing its dirge.

    Attah said nobody, in the last four years, could say  the President was a truly party man in the conventional sense, and that in his second term “it is my conviction that he is going to pay even less attention to the party.”

    He added: “There was yet a third group – the military bloc. They did not hide their support for Atiku and PDP. They openly showed their hand and have been spanked. Their influence is bound to wane. It is my prediction that from now we are going to witness less and less of those pilgrimages to Abeokuta and Minna.  With this loss of influence, it is also safe to say that the military oligarchy is dead.

    “These were the three power blocs that constantly exerted their manipulative wiles on the country. If they did not approve of you, be as wise as Solomon, as brave as David, as strong as Sampson, you will not get anywhere, and that is what has kept Nigeria down. The system has never allowed us to put forward our most capable.

    “Buhari’s victory is the death knell to these power blocs. It has started the process of dismembering these menacing behemoths, pulling out their fangs, blunting their claws and neutralising their sting. Buhari’s victory has returned power to the common man. Positions negotiated in Abuja and Lagos over the heads of the people can no longer be guaranteed. His victory has given Nigeria a long- delayed but much needed opportunity for a new life; an opportunity to chart a new course. That is why for me his victory represents not only the triumph of the common man, but also a great blessing for Nigeria.”

    With this state of affairs, Attah said an opportunity had been created for fresh hands to take over the leadership of the country. He said: “Nigeria can now look forward to a new birth. The phoenix can now rise out of the ashes and attain its destined glory.

    “If Atiku had won, it is possible he would have atikulated this country to the next level – to borrow from the slogan of both parties. But I also had the fear that if Atiku wins and PDP gets back in the saddle, this country would be plunged into an orgy of intolerable excesses.”

    The elder statesman said now that Buhari had won, he must put a stop to agitations to split up the country, by restructuring the polity. He said: “He must see to it that we re-enact and reinstate the terms and conditions of the agreement that caused various peoples, at Independence, to come together and form one country – federalism. Anything short of this is to court a disaster … The word today that describes this is restructuring. My prediction is that unless this is done, by the end of his tenure in the next four years, there may not be a country called Nigeria as we know it today.”

    Attah was categorical there would be no Nigeria without restructuring. He added: “What is going to happen is that agitation for break up is going to get more violent, more virulent and the country will scatter. Certainly, Buhari would not allow that to happen.”

  •  CNPP lauds Ayade over victory at polls

    The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) in Cross River State has congratulated the governor, Ben Ayade, on his re-election. Its chairman, Sunday Michael, said they decided to support the governor because “the governorship election was relatively free, fair and credible.”

    He said they have up to 25 political parties including their chairmen and some governorship aspirants, who have agreed, that now that the elections are over, the state should be allowed to move forward in the interest of the people, and also for the governor to settle and continue in his industrial development plan.

    Read also: Governorship poll: Our victory will be sweet, says Wike

    ”Elections have come and gone and our general assessment of the poll shows that the election was relatively free, fair and credible. It is on this premise that, we, the governorship candidates and chairmen of political parties, say a big congratulation to Senator Ben Ayade, Governor-Elect.

    ”We urge the governor to see this victory as the validation of the trust the majority of the people had in him to continue in his industrialization drive, job creation, youth empowerment and see to the realization of his flagship projects,” he said.

  • ‘Emefiele still in office’

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has dismissed claims that its Governor, Godwin Emefiele has been sacked.

    Responding to enquiries from The Nation yesterday on the purported sack of the CBN chief by an online medium, its Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, said nothing can be farther from the truth. “The governor is in his office working.”

    Read also: EFCC probes Atiku’s son-in-law over €150m

    Another CBN official said:  “There is nothing like that, the governor is here, his tenure expires in June. In fact he has functions to attend to tomorrow, one of which is to meet with stakeholders in the cotton value chain on Tuesday March 5, (today).”

    An online medium had reported yesterday afternoon that the CBN governor has been sacked by the Presidency and given two weeks to clear his table and “handover to an unnamed successor.”

  • Adelabu: I will rebuild PHCs, pet schools in 100 days as governor 

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Adebayo Adelabu, has hinted that he will rebuild primary health centres (PHCs) and public primary schools in his first 100 days if elected on March 9.

    Adelabu, who has intensified his campaign to the grassroots for the third time, said he has been involved in rebuilding schools as a form of giving back to the society, adding that handing him the mandate as governor would empower him to do the work at a larger scale to reach many more schools and PHCs.

    The governorship hopeful told the electorate in Ibadan that PHCs are closest to the people and that their effectiveness will bring healthcare delivery to the masses. He pointed out that a healthy people are a wealthy people, stressing that his administration would take healthcare delivery as one of the major priorities.

    Adelabu also promised to light up Oyo State by embarking on Operation Light Up Oyo in his first 100 days in office. He said major roads in the five zones of the state would enjoy street lights to ease intra-city travels at night and also boost night life in the cities and towns across the state.

    If elected, the APC candidate also pledged to embark on Operation Zero Potholes in the cities and communities, pointing out that he will ensure that most potholes in the major roads across the state will be filled for improved road usage by residents.

    Adelabu (aka Penkelemes) assured voters that he would not let them down in any way, promising to run an inclusive governance system that will address the needs of communities and groups in the society.

    He said Oyo State is among the committee of strategic states in Nigeria which should be governed by somebody who has a rich mix of public and private sector experience in Nigeria.

    He stressed that as an indigene, he has investments in the state which employed over 500 people, confirming that he has a stake in the state and would not do anything to destroy the state. Besides, the former banker said he has a heritage to protect as a grandson of a notable and respected late Ibadan politician, Sir Adegoke Adelabu (aka Peculiar mess).

    He urged the electorate to vote for him and all the APC House of Assembly candidates in the March 9 election, stressing that the APC has achievable programmes for the development of the state.

    Adelabu added that with the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari on February 23, Oyo State will do well to elect APC candidates in the next election to guarantee a perfect relationship with the federal government.

  • Ajimobi hails Oyo people for peaceful conduct, large turnout

    Oyo State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo South in last Saturday’s National Assembly election Senator Abiola Ajimobi has expressed appreciation to the people of the state for their peaceful conduct and large turnout during the elections.

    A statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, quoted the governor as saying that the people have shown their love for the APC by voting massively for President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC candidates in the elections.

    From the results released so far nationwide, he said the APC was coasting home to victory.

    The governor equally congratulated the APC and its candidates in the state, who picked nine out of the available 14 Federal Constituency seats and two out of the three senatorial seats.

    Ajimobi said: “We appreciate our people for coming out last Saturday, which led to APC winning two, out of the three senatorial and nine out of the 14 Federal Constituency seats in the state.

    ”The victory has shown the unassailable leadership of the APC in Oyo State. It has also shown that our people are appreciative of the developmental strides of the APC in the state and the country at large.

    ”We have taken Oyo State to an unprecedented level in terms of massive infrastructural renewal. Most importantly, we have ensured peace in the state.”

    The governor described the loss of the Oyo South Senatorial ticket seat as unfortunate, but noted that no sacrifice was too much for a leader to make.

    He enjoined APC members to gird their loins for the March 9 governorship election, stressing that the battle was not over yet.

    Ajimobi emphasised that the loss of Oyo South Senatorial seat would not deter him from his firm resolve and that of the APC to work hard for the party’s victory in the governorship election.

    The governor said: “The results of the Oyo South Senatorial District election have been released by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) indicating that I lost to the PDP candidate.

    ”I hereby accept the result as announced. Although there were a number of grievous infractions and established electoral malpractices, I have decided to let go in the interest of peace. I, therefore, congratulate the declared winner, Kola Balogun and our APC senators-elect, Abdulfatai Buhari and Teslim Folarin.

    ”If I lose the ticket and the party was able to gain, then it is nothing to feel sad about. APC has done well but we can always do better. If we won two out of the three senatorial seats and we picked nine out of 14 federal constituency seats, then we should congratulate ourselves.”

    ”To the teeming members and supporters of our party, who came out in their thousands to show their preference for the APC, I thank and urge you to keep the faith, especially as we look forward to the governorship and the House of Assembly elections.

    “With the impressive results we currently have, we should proudly go forth with greater sense of confidence and unity of purpose. Let us work together to ensure victory for our governorship candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and all our candidates for the House of Assembly.”

  • How to create efficient civil service, by governor

    The strategy of promoting and enhancing team work in the civil service is crucial to charting a path to higher responsibilities, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said yesterday.

    In a keynote address at the opening session of a training programme for directors in the civil service in Ikeja, the governor said it was important to adopt a lean culture approach to projects’ execution.

    Ambode, represented by Establishments, Training and Pensions Commissioner Dr. Akintola Benson Oke, said he was confident that  strategies to be taught at the training would make the civil service more productive, more efficient and more goal-oriented.

    They would make the civil service more suited to support the government to realise its objectives of promoting and enhancing the social infrastructural objectives of resident, he said.

    “Indeed, team work and synergy hold the key to maximum and ultimate performance,” the governor added.

    He urged the directors to focus more on strategic management by appreciating the value of synergy at the work place.

    Those who underestimated the value and importance of synergy and team work in today’s work space, would achieve less on any task, he said.

    A management expert, Prof. Patrick Utomi, said the impact of today’s rapidly changing economic and technological landscape had made the government’s task of evolving a formidable public service more complex.

    “It becomes imperative for the government to engage in this type of training and retraining, to meet up with the challenges of the 21st century,” he said.

     

  • Indigenous Lagosians endorse Sanwo-Olu for governor

    The Committee of Indigenous Associations of Lagos State, an umbrella body of all indigenes of Lagos, has set an agenda for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, an indigene.

    If Sanwo-Olu is elected in the next month’s election, the Lagos indigenes prayed the APC candidate to push for a special status for the state.

    They also called for the restoration of Lagos environment and incorporation of indigenes in the governance of the state.

    At a consultative meeting at the Awori House in Oregun, Ikeja, the state capital, the association, which comprises leaders from the five divisions of the state, endorsed the candidacy of Sanwo-Olu with an agreement that he would get a special status for Lagos.

    They promised to stand by the APC candidate in his effort to take the state to greater heights of development.

    Describing the Awori, the indigenous Ikorodu, the Epe inhabitants as well as the people of Isale Eko extractions as “original stakeholders” in the Lagos project, Sanwo-Olu said his intention to govern the state was not to fulfil an agenda against any ethnic group in the state.

    He said the meeting was necessary to listen to the concerns of the indigenes.

    The APC candidate said his reason for running for the Lagos top job was not for personal aggrandisement but to deploy his three-decade of professional expertise in public and private sectors to increase the fortunes of the state for the benefit of residents and the indigenes.

    Sanwo-Olu said: “Since I declared my intention to run for the governorship seat of our state, I have consulted widely with various interest groups and stakeholders in the Lagos project. I believe my consultation would not be complete without meeting with the indigenes of the state. I’ve come to listen to your concerns as indigenes of Lagos.

    “I am also a son of the soil. My lineage is a full-fledged Lagos. My father and grandfather are indigenes of Okepopo area of Lagos Island. In fact, my great grandfather’s house is still seating at Omididun on Lagos Island. My mother is of the Cole family of Lagos Island. I’m also married to a Lagosian, who has Brazilian and Yoruba ancestries.

    “However, I am not seeking to become the governor of Okepopo or Lagos Island. I’m not fulfilling any agenda against any ethnic group whose people are part of indigenous people of Lagos. I will be the governor of all.”

    Sanwo-Olu allayed the fears of Awori indigenes of Lagos, saying his government, if elected, would address their grievances.

    Beyond the quality of his academic qualifications and professional experience, the APC candidate said the most valued credential he would bring to governance is his integrity. Sanwo-Olu promised not to betray the trust reposed in him by the amalgamation of the indigenous Lagosians.

    He said: “Integrity is the greatest qualification I am putting at stake in this race to govern Lagos. My Five-Point programmes contained in my manifesto are carefully designed to take Lagos to a new level of development. Everybody will be part of our government and no discriminatory agenda will be initiated against anyone, irrespective of ethnic group or status.”

    Sanwo-Olu allayed the fear of a women leader, Alhaja Aishatu Onitiri Kuye, that his choice of running mate was a discrimination against womenfolk.

    The APC candidate said he had always enjoyed working with women because of their efficiency and result-oriented.

    He promised that women would be the driver of his administration.

    One of the leaders of Awori extraction and chairman of the coalition, Prof Rasheed Ojikutu, described the meeting as family affair.

    The expert said it was the first time the Awori were united to meet and support a candidate they believed in.

    He urged members of the association to support the APC candidate, adding that Sanwo-Olu would fulfil his promises.