Fashola Calls on Lagosians to Choose Wisely, Vote for APC in Guber Poll

Gboyega Akinsanmi Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday called on Lagosians irrespective of their ethno-political background to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship and house of assembly elections slated for Saturday.

The governor stressed the need for Lagosians to choose wisely, citing the way the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had deliberately frustrated the blueprint of the late Head of State, Gen. Murtala Muhammed to adduce special status to the state.

He stated this in a state broadcast on the governorship and state House of assembly elections yesterday, lamenting the state had suffered so much since the relocation of federal capital in December 1991.

He, therefore, urged Lagosians “to vote the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode in the Saturday election. You will also be voting for the future of your children. You will be choosing candidates and a party that you will entrust your lives to.

“Your choice of who to vote for will be easy if you answer these questions within yourself honestly. Indeed, you have clear choices to make between parties that use your resources to develop your society and community on the one hand, and the party that chooses to bring money to you for distribution when election beckons.

“So, you can choose between schools for your children, hospitals for your community, roads for your transportation or in the alternative, you can choose to have these services monetised once in four years. Remember, that choices have consequences and your vote will decide the choice that shapes your lives.

“Think hard, think clearly and think deeply. Ask yourselves a few questions. It is tempting to take the right and opportunity to vote for granted. It is tempting to think that it is too much trouble. I agree that the process can be made much easier. But it is no excuse to refuse to vote.”

Out of 5.8 million registered voters, the governor noted that 3.8 million collected their permanent voter cards (PVCs), while only about 1.5 million turned out to vote on March 28, thus urging “to think of all the pain, the effort, the sleepless nights it took to get the PVCs to you. Think of the best way to show that the effort was not wasted or in vain.

“It seems to me that the best way is to have all these 3.8 million voters come out to vote. By refusing to vote, you surrender decision making to a few and you will be bound by the consequences of your choices.

“By refusing to vote, you do a great disservice to many who have lived before you, who fought very hard at great personal costs to themselves, to earn you this right. By refusing to vote, you dishonour the sacrifice of patriots before you who fought for the right to vote,” he explained.

He explained how a PDP government unlawfully seized allocations accrued to the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas and resisted the attempt to bring government closer to the people by creating more local governments.

He, however, said a new dawn signalled for the people and government of Lagos State with the victory of the presidentelect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the vice-presidentelect, Prof. Oluyemi Osinbajo in the just concluded election.

He pointed out that the president-elect had promised that Lagos “will receive compensation for the role she has played in maintaining federal government assets. He was here in Lagos in his first political engagement since he became president-elect and he reiterated his commitment to support Lagos.”

“This is what I will vote for. This is what I urge you to think about as you vote on Saturday. This is the place that every Nigerian calls his home. It is the home of displaced people. It is the place where the homeless arrive and are welcome.

“It is the place where generations of Nigerians have arrived without knowing anybody, but have, through the opportunities and inclusion, become somebody. Although your votes will be cast for one political party or the other, let me remind you that you will actually be voting for your wellbeing, security, prosperity and future.”

The governor lamented that since the capital of Nigeria was moved from Lagos 24 years ago, precisely on December 1991, the federal government, specifically under the PDP “has been abandoned the state outright.”

He chronicled diverse cases of denial and neglect in the text of the state broadcast on the governorship and state of assembly elections yesterday, lamenting the state had suffered so much since the relocation of federal capital.

The governor referred to Martala’s commitment before federal capital was moved to Abuja, noting that the former head of state unveiled a blueprint that the federal government would “maintain a special defence and security arrangement in Lagos, which will henceforth be designated a special area.”

Contrary to this commitment, Fashola said the assets the federal government left behind “almost became a burden but for our resilience to maintain them. Today the Federal Government is owing Lagos N51billion, which remains unpaid.

“This is not in accord with the spirit of the promise made to Lagos when the federal government first declared Abuja as the capital in 1976. The Head-of-State at the time, the late Gen Murtala Muhammed, designated Lagos as a special area then.”

Sadly enough, the governor stated that no federal government and indeed not the PDP government “has done anything to redeem that promise for the 16 years it was in power or to protect Lagos. Instead of assisting Lagos, they attacked her.”

He cited the case of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in 2006, which he said, rivalled the Lagos State government on matters that were purely out of the constitutional jurisdiction of the federal government.