The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday alleged that Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, as well as his running mate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, are indigenes of Ogun State.
Speaking with Daily Independent in Lagos, Dr. Adegbola Dominic, PDP state chairman, said checks conducted by the party indicated that Sanwo-Olu was not a bona fide Lagosian as he had severally claimed in his speeches.
Dominic stated that Lagosians were tired of “foreign rule” and pointed out that the father of Hamzat was currently a monarch in Ogun State.
According to him, Lagosians should begin to ask questions why Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a national leader of APC, enjoyed lording non-indigenes over the state.
“We are tired of non-indigenes coming to rule us in Lagos. I can tell you that Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governorship candidate of APC, is from Ogun State. That is the truth.
“His running mate, Obafemi Hamzat, is also from Ogun State. It is an established fact that his father, Oba Olatunji Hamzat, is the Olu of Afowowa Sogade, a town in Ewekoro Local Government Area, Ogun State. It is a fact that they cannot deny.
“The question we should ask is: Why is Tinubu always interested in imposing non-indigenes on Lagosians? Every election year, he will impose foreigners on us, and because these ones don’t have any serious stake here or the interest of Lagosians at heart, they end up messing up the state and going back to their state.
“Rauf Aregbesola was commissioner here in Lagos for eight years. After that he went to his state in Osun to contest for governorship election.
“One Yayi (Olamilekan Adeola) who is the senator for Lagos West wanted to contest for governorship election in Ogun. When he was rejected in Ogun, he ran back to Lagos, the same with the likes of Opeyemi Bamidele from Ekiti, and others.
“For how long will we continue to do that? Lagosians are tired of foreign rule and I know that the cup of APC is full and anybody who associates with them, including the Oba of Lagos, will have the people to contend with.”
The party also said Lagosians would completely drown the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming governorship election.
Dominic said it was unfortunate that the monarch, who was supposed to be father, had chosen to be partisan by declaring support for the APC.
He said Lagosians would no longer be intimidated by threats from the monarch, especially his threats that anybody who refuses to vote for APC will perish in the lagoon.
According to him, “It is very unfortunate that the Oba of Lagos is taking sides. But just like the case of Tinubu, the Oba of Lagos is now known by Lagosians for what he stands for.
“The people of Lagos know that anybody supporting or aligning his or herself with Tinubu is an enemy of Lagos State because Tinubu, having converted all the resources of the state into his personal use, is an enemy of the state.
“So, if the Oba of Lagos wants to continue aligning himself with Tinubu or APC, the people of Lagos will also deal with him the same way they will deal with Tinubu. They have placed them in the same boat now and they are going to drown together.”
Also speaking on claims that the party was not serious about its participation in the forthcoming elections based on its level of preparations, Dominic said the PDP was working silently in the grassroots, adding that the results of its efforts would be made manifest at the polls.
“That is not true. What are the parameters for saying we are not serious about our preparations for the elections?
“For me, a lot of things go into preparations for elections. Elections go beyond posting of posters.
“The real work of electioneering campaigns has to do with the grassroots. Elections are going to be won or lost at the polling booths and INEC is not going to count the number of posters posted by candidates. They are going to count the votes by the electorate.
“So, let Sanwo-Olu keep flooding everywhere with his posters with the belief that some godfathers will secure victory for him.
“If that is the yardstick that some people are using to judge our level of preparation, then that is erroneous.
“On our part, the posters are coming but that is not what is important. To the average people, the number of posters they see show the level of preparations, but to a seasoned and experienced politician, it goes beyond that.
“I can tell you that the Lagos PDP, under my leadership, is preparing very hard to win the election and free Lagosians from the grip of these scammers who pride themselves as progressives.
“We are silently working underground and by the time we come out fully, everybody will know that we are prepared.
“We will still do the normal things, like posting of posters but that, to us, is not the most important thing,” he said.
However, Sanwo-Olu, in his response, described the allegations by the PDP as unfounded, saying he would not be dragged into the debate of indigeneship with the party.
The former Managing Director of Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSDPC) described himself as a “Lagosian of the first order”, adding that his family house built by his great grandfather is still standing on Lagos Island.
Sanwo-Olu spoke through one of his media aides, Gboyega Akosile.
On whether he had no affinity with Ogun State, Sanwo-Olu said while there was no denying the fact that he was from Lagos State, it was an established fact that people migrate from one place to another, citing the example of the US President whose parents migrated from Germany.
“The claim by the PDP is false. He is a bona fide Lagosian. He is the third generation of the Sanwo-Olus. His great-grandfather has his house built around 1925 at No. 25, Omididun Street, Off Adeniji-Adele, Lagos Island, and that house is still standing as we speak,” said Sanwo-Olu’s aide.
He added: “The Sanwo-Olu family is a big family on Lagos Island. So, he is a Lagosian of the first order.
“The point is, if you look at things clearly, people migrate from somewhere to another place. Even the Oba of Lagos will always tell you that they migrated from Benin to Lagos. I have attended events where he said that publicly.
“So, people will naturally migrate. For example, look at Donald Trump from America. His parents are not originally from the United States; they migrated from Germany or so.
“I think these people do not have any talking point. That is why they are looking for irrelevant issues aimed at distracting the APC governorship candidate.
“Lagosians need good roads, developments, functional hospitals and a healthy environment which Sanwo-Olu is passionate about.
“He is concerned about the people at the pyramid, the vulnerable in the society, and how to build sustainable infrastructure for Lagosians.
“He will not be dragged into the issue of indigeneship, where he came from or where his father came from.
“As far as my principal knows, he is from Lagos. We won’t allow the PDP to distract us.”
No comments:
Post a Comment