A socio-political and pro-democracy group, Campaign for Dignity in Governance (CDG), has taken a critical look at the two-day working visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Lagos and declared that its implications would be manifest in the presidential and gubernatorial elections in Lagos State on February 25 and March 11 respectively.
Renowned activist and Chartered Public Administrator, Comrade Razaq Olokoba, who doubles as the Convener and National President of the CDG said, “One, Mr. President’s Lagos visit has confirmed our usual belief and assertion that, there is no vacancy at the Lagos Government in 2023 because the sitting governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s performance has secured a second therm for him with the support of the good people of the state.”
Olokoba, in addition said, the visit was also a clear signal to the opposition in the state (if there is any at all) that, “the game is over because what the president witnessed on ground were testimony that for now, there is no alternative to Sanwo-Olu for Lagos State this 2023,” reasoning that, “with what is on ground now in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office is double sure and solidly consolidated.”
Furthermore, the renowned activist and Management/Security consultant, expressed sympathy for the so called opposition in the state because according to him, the door of likely victory for them has now been closed finally by President Muhammadu Buhari, reminding that, “the highly enlightened and politically matured people of Lagos are not prepared to change a winning team at the crucial stage of the game.”
Finally, the right activist and public commentator added that, no responsible set of people like Lagosians would deliberately abandoned a tested and trusted administrator like Sanwo-Olu and hand over the state to a couple of nonstarter to use as an experiment of governance, reminding that that, “the art of governance is a serious matter and not commodity for a bunch of court jesters or market place comedians.”
Even against the above background, the Ilorin, Kwara State born democracy advocate still believe that, only continued support and assistance could make the journey back to office by Sanwo-Olu smoother and hitch-free, expressing the need for massive collection of Permanent Voters Card (PVC), because its relevance and importance in any electoral processes can never be over emphasised.
However, the CDG disclosed that, his group in collaboration with other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), who are also democracy lovers, have been going round for, door to door sensitization over the need for collection of the PVC, asserting that, “any support without the PVC cannot translate to votes that can guarantee victory for one’s preferred candidate.”