For the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ’s supporters, or those who had for the four years watched the pace of development in the Centre of Excellence, the outcome of the recent governorship election elicited boundless joy for them.
The success of APC in the polls was probably more satisfying for those who in some way campaigned for the governor in order to ensure the rapid infrastructure development aimed at catapulting the state to higher pedestal was not truncated.
Thus, the wild celebrations that followed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s victory ever since he was declared the winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not come as a surprise to the residents.
Speaking on the outcome of the polls, the Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, (CACOL) Comrade Debo Adeniran congratulated the Deputy Governor-Elect, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat for winning the keenly contested gubernatorial election of the Centre of Excellence.
He said their emergence marked another great milestone in the history of the state and it also shows the huge level of confidence reposed in them by the people.
Adeniran said, ‘’It is on our record based on our assessment of your administration’s performance in Lagos through our local government units which spread across the length and breadth of Lagos State, which we call CACOL’s Good-Governance, Accountability and Transparency Educators (CGATE), who have been monitoring your achievements for the past three years.
It is instructive to note that the information we gathered during the Feedback Conference we held with our CGATE Members two days before the gubernatorial election, attested to the fact that Lagosians are not only appreciative of your administration’s contribution to the physical and human capital development of the state, but they are generally satisfied with your level of achievements even when they acknowledged that there are rooms for improvements.
‘’Your campaign slogan of “A Greater Lagos Rising” is one which encapsulates the whole yearning of the masses and we expect that you with your Principal and other cabinet members will hit the ground running as you face this daunting task.’’
CALCOL pointed out that the task ahead is enormous, adding that, ‘’The fact that you have goodwill from across the board should make the task a bit easy for you and we hope that you will use this goodwill to make Lagosians proud of you.
’Be rest assured that through our local government units (CGATE), we would continue to monitor the achievements of your administration and publish it in our publication called Lagos Open Parliament (LOP) which chronicles the achievements of various administrations in the state. Some of your administration’s achievements are already published in our LOP 6 and 7.
‘’We urge you to dare to be different. A lot of trust and confidence has been bestowed upon you and we expect that you would not disappoint. The work starts now. It’s time to write your name in gold.’’
Offering some recipe on how to move the state forward, the state’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chairman, Mr Femi Olaniyi who congratulated Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on his victory at Saturday’s governorship election in the state said Sanwo-Olu’s victory showed his popularity.
Olaniyi urged Sanwo-Olu to be magnanimous in victory, however called for inclusive governance, saying “In the spirit of sportsmanship, we want to congratulate Sanwo-Olu on his deserved victory at the Saturday’s Governorship election.
”Sanwo-Olu’s re-election provides him another opportunity to justify the hope reposed on him by the people.
“It is a time to reflect and chart a way to get the dividends of democracy across to the masses. It is another opportunity to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.
“It is another time to put smiles on the faces of our people at the grassroots. We believe Sanwo-Olu will do more for the people of Lagos State,” said the state SDP chairman.
According to Olaniyi, the governor must be more inclusive in governance and bring right and qualified people on board to deliver his campaign promises to the people.
“The SDP will want to use this medium to counsel the governor to prioritise inclusiveness and carry all relevant stakeholders along,” he urged.
It would be recalled that, Sanwo-Olu polled a total of 762,134 votes, securing a comfortable margin of 449,805 to defeat the main challenger in Labour Party (LP) that scored 312,329 votes. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came third in the election, having received 62,449 votes.
Basking in the euphoria of the victory, Governor Sanwo-Olu has said the electoral outcome affirmed the choice of the Lagos electorate to choose competence, experience and track record as the state marched toward a new democratic dispensation.
His victory, he said, attested to Lagosians’ faith in APC as their party of choice, dedicating his success to all “hardworking” residents of the State.
Since inception, the Governor said his administration had worked hard to live up to its responsibility of providing the best leadership and track-able record of achievements in the, “most important” sub-national economy on the continent.
His second term, Sanwo-Olu said, will bring about consolidation of his administration’s development agenda and witness the delivery of legacy projects that would raise the development profile of Lagos.
He said: “We thank the almighty God, to whom we owe our every breath, and who has spared our lives to see this day. I am grateful to all the good people of Lagos. I salute every citizen, not just the people who voted for us, or those registered to vote. Lagos is at this enviable stage of development today because of each and every one of you, regardless of your ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, gender or age. We are a vibrant and thriving hub of commerce, finance, entrepreneurship, innovation and culture because of the diversity that has come to define us, over the decades and the centuries.
“I thank all our supporters, who worked day and night to take our message of competence and accomplishment far and wide. Many of you did what you did not because you knew me personally, but because you identified with the progressive vision that we represent and believe in the message of continuity that we advocated. Now that the elections are over, we must re- affirm the spirit of solidarity and togetherness that binds us as Lagosians. Governance must continue and dividends of democracy must continue to be delivered. There must be no break, there will be no time-off. We will keep all the promises we have made to all Lagosians.”
Sanwo-Olu saluted the courage of his opponents to take part in the democratic process, saying their contribution created a competitive participation that reflected the essence of democracy and electioneering.
The Governor extended his hand of fellowship to his opponents, saying there was no victor and no vanquished. He urged them to accept the electoral outcome in the true spirit of sportsmanship.
Sanwo-Olu, however, condemned what he called “divisive rhetoric” used by opposing parties in the course of the campaign, noting that it was wrong for anyone to attempt to make the election about ethnicity and religion, when it should have been about capacity, competence and experience.
He said: “We saw hateful and hurtful ethnic profiling by fellow citizens, which is totally out of place for us as Lagosians – the proud residents of West Africa’s pre-eminent melting pot. I recognise and salute all the Lagosians who refused to succumb to those who sought and still seek to divide us with their unguarded and inciting comments.”
The Governor condemned a pocket of violence that marred the election in a few polling units, which led to some residents sustaining injuries. He said relevant security agencies had been directed to investigate the breaches and to ensure that those found culpable face the full wrath of the law.
Sanwo-Olu extended his gratitude to the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for standing in support of his Government since inception, pledging that Lagos would remain aligned with the centre under Tinubu’s leadership.
The Governor thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, his commitment to leaving a legacy of fairness and equitability in the nation’s electoral system, saying: “We believe posterity will judge President Buhari well for his commitment to a fair and equitable country.”
Sanwo-Olu also hailed the President for the “unprecedented support” to Lagos in the last eight years.
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