July 24, (THEWILL) – Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has commended the people of Agege for their peaceful conduct during the election exercise that took place in all the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas of the state on Saturday.
Obasa expressed confidence that his All Progressives Congress (APC) would be victorious in the local governments and councils elections.
Speaking with the newsmen, he said: “We would like to commend our people in Agege for the peaceful election exercise, and at the same time, those who came to exercise their rights and duties.
“I strongly believe the party is going to lead at the end of the day, and from reports we’ve got so far from our people on the field, we have no doubts about victory.
“Going by the report gathered so far, I think it’s very peaceful, while we’re expecting reports from other local governments from our people who are also monitoring the exercise across the state.”
Responding to the question on security architecture provided by the state for the election, he said: “I’m so happy with the security architecture on the ground because the exercise has been very peaceful, and there have been no reports of violence anywhere in Lagos. So we are happy with what we are seeing. And I want to assure you that at the end of the day, it is going to be successful.”
On the low turnout of voters in the local government, he said, “It is disappointing, but we’ll have to continue encouraging our people that it is their responsibility to choose those who represent their interests.
“I think what we need to do, most especially the civil society organisations, is that we must continue to educate our people, how important the election is and to make a decision in electing those who will represent them.”
Commenting on what the council election portended for democracy in Nigeria, he said, “Democracy has come to stay permanently in the state and Nigeria as a whole because Lagosians and Nigerians now select their leaders, which shows that the government we have in Lagos is a government of the people that believes in listening to the voice of the people.”
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
