Fashola: Feb or March, APC will defeat PDP

Against the backdrop of Saturday’s postponement of general elections by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has appealed for calm, patience and non-violence among supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) nationwide.
Fashola, who spoke on Sunday at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos, venue of a rally by Hausa traders, under the umbrella of the Amalgamated Foodstuff, Ram and Cattle Dealers’ Association, to endorse candidates
of the All Progressives Congress including its Governorship flag bearer, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, reminded all APC members of the peace
accord signed by the party’s Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, saying they are duty-bound to respect the accord.
Frowning at the excuse of the inability of the security agencies to provide necessary protection for INEC personnel and equipment as reason for the postponement, Fashola maintained that the protection of life and property of citizens is the primary duty of
government worldwide.
He declared, “The work of government is security. Jega (INEC Chairman) must not be begging for security; that
is the duty of government. That they cannot provide security for the INEC Chairman that is why they should not continue to be in government”.
He noted that the postponement was part of the antics of the ruling party to provoke violence among the opposition, adding that APC members and supporters would continue to keep the peace and maintain the
non-violence accord as long as the security agencies are prepared to protect them during their campaigns and rallies.
He told the gathering of Hausa traders, market and community leaders as well as APC chieftains: “They will provoke you, they will taunt you, but don’t fight”, adding, however, “But that you want to maintain peace does not mean you should not continue your campaigns. Let nobody disturb your door-to-door campaigns. We trust our security agencies to protect life and property and protect all law abiding citizens”.
Noting that the ruling party is now afraid to proceed with the elections in spite of having campaigned for over a year, Fashola declared: “I am sure the only thing we want to do is to vote for our candidates. So, let the campaigns continue; intensify the house-to-house campaigns. Whether they like it or not, Nigeria is on
the move, the momentum for change is here and nobody can stop it”.
The governor reiterated that postponement of the elections has not changed the momentum of Change adding, “Come March 28, we must vote General Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo and all our National Assembly candidates and on April 11, we would vote our governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode and House of Assembly candidates”.
“We must maintain peace in accordance with the accord signed by our Party’s Presidential Candidate”, he reiterated adding, “However, in any situation where our security agencies deliberately fail to do their duty of protecting us, we must defend ourselves against undue
attack and harassment”.
The governor thanked the traders for turning out in their numbers to endorse the State’s Gubernatorial Candidate saying both the State Government and the APC see them as bona fide Lagosians who have the
right of citizenship to carry out their legitimate business, marry and raise families here, benefit from all infrastructure put in place, as well as pay their taxes here for the development of the state.
“As far as we are concerned, you are all Lagosians and that is how our government sees you; that is how our Party, the APC, sees you. You are Lagos citizens, you do business here and your business is doing well;
you have children here and they attend our schools. You also marry here and they attend our hospitals. You pay your tax here and we develop Lagos with it and you like it”, he said.
Urging them to vote massively for continuity in the State, Fashola declared: “You have seen the road and bridges on Ikorodu Road and you like them; those of you living in Idi Araba will testify that there is no more flooding in the area because of what our government
has done in the area; you have experienced development in Agege, Alaba, Orile, and all the projects going on, for example the Lagos-Badagry Expressway Expansion; they will be completed by Akinwunmi
Ambode when you vote him in”.
“My message to you is keep the peace, continue the campaign, don’t be violent; but if you are attacked and law enforcement agents are not there to protect you, defend yourselves; we have a right to every part of this country”, the governor said adding, “We have been conducting elections before; we have not had this kind of violence, this kind of lawless people before”.
Also present at the rally were the APC Governorship Candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, Chairman of the Campaign Committee of the APC, Lagos State, Cardinal Omolaja James Odunmbaku, Iyaloja General of Lagos, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, Chairman, Arewa United, Alhaji Mohammed Dandama, and Chairman, Ram Sellers’ Association, Alhaji Haruna Mohammed, as well as APC Chieftains and Hausa Market and Community leaders.