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| Sanwo-Olu & Fashola. |
If All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must record an overwhelming victory in the February 25 presidential elections, Lagos State must play a leading role in the candidate’s electoral success at the polls, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Thursday.
Sanwo-Olu said the five million votes pledged by the APC
supporters in Lagos to deliver the State to Tinubu were not impossible, given
the strength and structure of the campaign employed by the party in Lagos. The
Governor said it was time for the party’s canvassers to embark on mass voter
enlightenment in order to minimise void votes for the party.
The Governor spoke at the formal launching of “Eko O Ni Baje”
10,000 Foot Soldiers for Tinubu-Shettima/Sanwo-Olu-Hamzat, a project initiated
by the Minister for Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN.
The event, attended by a large number of APC’s grassroots
canvassers, was held at The Haven, GRA Ikeja.
Sanwo-Olu boasted that the party’s presidential ticket remained
unbeatable, noting that Tinubu’s academic background, political acumen and
administrative capacity stood him out as the most qualified contender with
better credentials.
The Governor said election of Tinubu as president would usher in
a new era of hope for the masses, adding that the APC presidential manifesto
was designed to stimulate socio-economic growth and take the country to its
pride place as a major force on the continent.
He said: “We gather today to add yet another layer to the
structures already put in place with other existing platforms that are working
for the victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I thank our Honorable Minister
and the team working with him for bringing about this stakeholders’ engagement.
This is an engagement where we want to hit the ground running and our aim is to
reach out to the electorate in every nook and cranny of Lagos.
“When we work together, we can achieve a lot together. With the
emergence of this structure, the 5 million votes we pledged to deliver for our
presidential candidate in Lagos will be delivered. We know that Tinubu is the
best choice for our country at this moment in our history. This is a team that
is unbeatable and one that possesses the best credentials, given the political
and education backgrounds of Tinubu and Sen. Kashim Shettima.
“We have seen the reality of political and economic
breakthroughs in Lagos. Given Tinubu’s skills, experience and capacity, we
believe Nigeria would be better served under his leadership. We have seen how
other States are working together for Asiwaju. We who are his people in Lagos
cannot but keep our rightful position to deliver the larger number of votes to
Tinubu-Shettima ticket. That is why we must put our political strength to work
at the next presidential election.”
Sanwo-Olu said the APC candidate was already positioned to win
the election, but said the party’s canvassers must work to ensure a wide margin
of victory against Tinubu’s opponents.
The Governor said the task before APC foot soldiers was to adopt
a method of vote management, stressing that the method involved proper
education of the electorate on how to cast their ballots in line with methods
prescribed by the electoral umpire.
Fashola, who is also the APC Presidential Campaign Council’s
Director for Election Planning and Monitoring, said part of the charges to the
recruited foot soldiers was to fight misinformation already spread by
opposition parties against the ruling party.
The Minister, who was a two-term Governor of Lagos, took a swipe
at the gubernatorial candidate of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), in Lagos, describing him as “inexperienced cameraman” who lacked
knowledge about governance.
Fashola said: “Someone who worked as a backup cameraman during
my time as Governor has been going all out to discredit our party. He thought
he had acquired the knowledge to govern a State as big as Lagos because he
operated a camera for eight years. I went through tutelage and I was trained to
do the job…
“To be a Governor in Lagos, you need experience. I did the job
for eight years and part of what helped me was being a Chief of Staff to a
Governor. Even then, that was not enough. So, just following a Governor as a
cameraman, watching me for eight years and you think you have enough capacity
to be a Governor? You are not ready.”
The Minister listed reasons why Lagosians must keep their faith
with APC, noting that all the inter-state highways connecting Lagos and
neighbouring States were left in worse condition by the PDP-led government in
16 years. He said the APC government was on the verge of commissioning
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and delivering Lagos-Badagry Highway.
Fashola added that the metropolitan fibre network being laid
across Lagos by the Sanwo-Olu administration was being developed to position
the State for technological advancement, saying Lagos would be the smartest
city in this sub region when the project is completed.
He said: “This election is not about whether we will beat them
or not; it is about by what margin we will win. Our tool is about PVC, while
our path to victory is our votes.”
Speaking at the event, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, said the
presidential election would not be about sentiment but empirical facts on the
track records of the contenders.
He urged the foot soldiers to percolate all communities in Lagos
and spread the message of APC.
“We must educate young voters about the situation the country
was in before APC took over and the progress we have recorded,” Hamzat said.
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