Sanwo-Olu Charges Lagos Residents to Co-exist in Peace
The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has encouraged the residents of the state to continue to co-exist in peace in spite of the attempt by various opposing groups to cause chaos at the polls last weekend.
Sanwo-Olu who spoke against discriminatory comments fuelled by the disruption of elections in some areas of Lagos State during the last weekend’s presidential and National Assembly elections in the state cautioned that the state residents should not play into the hands of mischief makers and crisis merchants.
He declared that the state is a home for all, reassuring that if elected, his government will serve residents, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or party affiliation.
Speaking on the conduct of the last Saturday’s elections, which he described as peaceful and well-coordinated, SanwoOlu said that “every resident of the state is central to the promised socio-economic development of the state, and everyone has the right to identify with any party of their choice. We are stronger and better in our diversity.”
He added that: “As a politician and a governorship candidate, it will be exciting for me to have the support of every tribe in the state, but where people have other preferences, I cannot say that they do not have such rights. However, it will only be appropriate for electorate to support a party that has made Lagos a home for everyone. For instance, 40 per cent of teaching staff in Lagos state public schools are non-Yorubas, the pupils in secondary schools, for which Lagos state government pay for National Examination Council and Senior Secondary School Examinations are in equal proportion between the Yorubas and non-Yorubas in Lagos State”
He further stated that, “as a state, Lagos recognises her heterogeneity and will continue to promote the assorted ethnic composition as a unique advantage over other states in Nigeria. It is only in Lagos State that you can find principal officers, who are not ethnic people in the state civil service, parastatals and establishments. I call on everyone to eschew violence and any form of harassment of innocent people. We must live in peace for development we know in Lagos to continue” The APC gubernatorial candidate has anchored his campaign on inclusive governance, stressing that he will work to positive impact on the lives and businesses of the state’s residents.Earlier in his campaign, Sanwo-Olu had engaged a number of stakeholder groups, including the Ndigbo, Arewa, AkwaIbom, Edo, Ijaw and other ethnics associations in Lagos.