Igbo in Lagos Endorse APC Candidates
From traditional leaders to traders, the Igbo in Lagos at the weekend endorsed All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates at both national and State levels in the coming general elections, even as the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola assured all residents of the state of a level playing field in all aspects of life.
The Igbo leaders and Chiefs had earlier met with the Governor to register their support and willingness to mobilise all Igbo groups resident in Lagos to vote for APC at the Lagos House, Marina in Central Lagos and this was followed by a meeting with the traders under the auspices of the Odun-Ade Building Materials Dealers’ Association.
Addressing the traders, Governor Fashola said the State government has never been interested in or acted in any way to indicate ethnic or religious discrimination in its policies, pointing out that his administration was only interested in serving the people of Lagos State.
The Governor, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, noted that although he could neither change how people chose to see themselves nor could they change how he chose to see himself.
He expressed dismay that some people have chosen to whip up ethnic sentiments to create division among Lagos residents with the false allegation that non-indigenes were not being given the Permanent Voters’ Cards, pointing out that the allegation was not only false but also dangerous to the growth of democracy in the country.
He urged the people to vote for the APC Presidential Candidate and his running mate adding, “If you vote for Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo, they will know that you can also change them if they don’t do well and that is when the democratic journey would have been completed”.
The Governor challenged the Peoples Democratic Party Gover- norship Candidate, Jimi Agbaje, to explain to Lagosians how he was going to deliver 150,000 houses in four years and supply at low cost prices to residents, describing it as a fallacy representing the tradition of the PDP and its leadership.
Also speaking, the APC Governorship Candidate in the State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, promised that his administration would continue in the footsteps of the incumbent Governor by creating an enabling environment for all Lagos residents to do business and prosper as well as contribute to the prosperity of the State.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, President of the Odun-Ade Building Materials Dealers Association, Chief Modestus Umenzekwe, had extolled the virtues of Governor Fashola as a highly detribalised Nigerian, saying the virtue could not be more visible than in his (Governor’s) relationship with Ndigbo in Lagos in the last eight years.