Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group, says the March
11 governorship election in Lagos is not a contest between people of the
south-east extraction and Yoruba in the state.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, Supo
Shonibare, leader of the group in the state, said the election is “a contest of
ideas and those who think that we are at a stage where there should be a change
in the polity”.
Shonibare called on Lagos residents to avoid provocative
comments and urged them to vote for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the candidate of the
Labour Party (LP).
“Afenifere has noted the brazen desperation of the APC party
in Lagos state after all its efforts to create dissension, contrive
misunderstanding and thereby foist on the people a situation of mutual hate and
destroy have failed,” he said.
“They have also
resorted to strong arms tactics by forcing people to do against their will even
after they have been defeated at the presidential polls.
“It is believed that with INEC’s assurance and better
performance and the people’s ability to be the watchdog of the ability to keep
to that assurance that the polls on Saturday 11th of March and the procedure of
uploading results through the BVAS will be seamless and in real-time. The
manipulation is usually enabled after this process.
“Afenifere hereby enjoins all men and women of goodwill to
turn out en masse on Saturday 11th of March to vote for architect Gbadebo
Rhodes-Vivour of the illustrious Rhodes Vivour family of Lagos whose family
ancestry and pivotal contribution to the affairs of Lagos state dates back to
five generations.
“Gbadebo is sure to
make a huge difference to the unfortunate present state of brigandry,
opportunism, impunity and prebendary.
“We implore Lagos residents to ignore provocative posts on
social media. Many are aimed at fanning the embers of disunity among
peace-loving residents and intended to pinch Yorubas against Igbos.
“Igbos voted for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in states of the
south-east the same way that Yorubas voted for Mr Peter Obi in Lagos and other
states in the south-west.
“The issue that we are confronting is not a contest between
Igbos and Yorubas. It is the contest of ideas; it is the contest of those who
think that we are at a stage where there should be a change in the polity.
“The narrative of
Lagos being taken over by Igbos is a false narrative. Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour
is a Yoruba man with his great-grandfather being one of the indigenous founders
of new Lagos immediately after colonialism.
“Lagos is not a no man’s land, it is a Yoruba territory. And
we assure Lagosians that the government of Mr Rhodes-Vivour will comprise
indigenous Lagosians as well as provide and ensure all ethnic groups and
foreigners resident in Lagos are afforded their basic rights to ensure that
they all contribute to the continuing growth of the city of Lagos that is the
fifth largest economy in Africa.”
Before the February 25 presidential and national assembly
elections, Afenifere declared support for Peter Obi, candidate of the LP.
The opposition party won the election in Lagos which is the
political stronghold of Bola Tinubu, the president-elect and candidate of the
APC.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com