Arewa, Ndigbo and Southsouth
communities in Lagos State have
endorsed Governor Babatunde
Fashola (SAN) for a  second term in
office. The ethnic groups, apart from
applauding the governor ’s feats,
also asked for slots in the cabinet,
reports Deputy Political Editor
EMMANUEL OLADESU.
A month ago, President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was guest of
Aka-Ikenga, an Igbo socio-cultural
organisation in Lagos State. At the
meeting, the President harped on the
need to overcome ethnic boundaries
in the manner critical decisions and
policies are made in the country, a
situation he said “made it possible for
the United States President Barrack
Obama to come to power ”.
Obviously, President Jonathan’s
meeting with Aka-Ikenga was
strategically organised to get the
support of over one million Igbo
descendants living in the state. But the
table turned last week when Arewa,
Ndigbo and Southsouth indigenes in
the state trooped to endorse Fashola
(SAN) and the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN).
The rally was held in the International
Trade Fair Ground, Ojo. At the venue,
the leaders of the ethic nationalities,
including the state Commissioner for
Economic Planning and Budget, Rev.
Ben Akabueze, Abia State ACN
governorship candidate, Chief Paul
Ikonne and Arewa leader in Lagos,
Hon. Ahmed Kabiru, gave nod to
Fashola ’s re-election on behalf of their
members.
Shortly before the solidarity rally, a
group of Igbo professionals also
engaged Fashola on Victoria Island.
The governor used  the occasion to
explain his plan for Lagos residents,
irrespective of their ethno-religious
affiliations, if re-elected in the next
month ’s election. Haling Fashola for his
excellent performance, the
professionals pledged him support.
Trailing that was another
endorsement by the Sisters Forum, a
non-governmental Group in Lagos
made up of young women of Igbo
extraction. The group organised a
solidarity rally at the Sam Shonibare
Centre, Surulere for Fashola. At the
rally, the members of the forum cited
Fashola ’s achievements as rationale
for giving him support for second
term.
Explaining Arewa’s backing for
Fashola, Kabiru explained how a poll
was conducted among more than one
million members of Lagos State Arewa
Community, with a view to adopting a
candidate the group would support in
the next governorship election. The
Arewa leader explained that Fashola
“ ranked first among other
gubernatorial candidates from political
parties ”.
Kabiru explained that the governor
got the endorsement of Arewa
community after a committee was set
up a committee “to assess Fashola’s
performance and scrutinized the
credentials of all governorship
candidates in the state. The committee
conducted an opinion among the
Arewa residents in Lagos State, ” and
the committee score Fashola 72
percent. His cumulative average was
put at 68 percent.
The assessment report also show that
Fashola ’s administration “performed
73 per  cent in education sector, 78
percent in health, 74 in public works,
58 percent in transportation and 52
percent in environment. But his
administration only performed 58 in
transportation and 52 percent in
environment which the committee
said, was due to the excesses of
officers of the state Traffic
Management Authority (LASTMA) and
Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) brigade
officers ”.
At the weekend, Mrs. Chinyere
Anokwuru, who is the founder of
Sisters Forum, said Fashola “has
fulfilled all his promises by
constructing several roads such as
Cele Okota Link Bridge, the Sabo Yaba
road and the LASU-Iba road. Fashola ’s
administration has also given succour
to thousands of women who have
been trained at the various skills
acquisition centres across the state ”.
It was on the accounts of different
ethno-cultural leaders in the state that
Paul Ikonne, Abia State ACN
governorship candidate, urged the
entire residents in the state to sustain
the broom revolution in the state,
saying Lagos State “has been a
reference point in all states of the
federation, ” a rationale for which he
said, all Lagos residents irrespective of
their status and groups should vote
for Fashola.
Ikonne thus told the party’s
supporters in the state “to sweep
away the government of kidnappers.
We must sweep away the government
of bad roads. We must sweep away
the government of fraudsters. We
sustain the broom revolution. We can
only do that by voting and defending
our votes. This is the only way the on-
going socio-economic transformation
in the state can be sustained ”.
But former Lagos State Governor,
Asiwaju Bolaji Ahmed Tinubu warned
the teeming crowd of over 100,000
Lagos residents of diverse ethnic
background against the propaganda
of the state People ’s Democratic Party
(PDP). At the rally, he also flayed
Jonathan ’s alleged plan to the PDP’s
former National Deputy Chairman,
Chief Bode George on the condition if
George was able to win Lagos for the
ruling party.
The former governor said the ruling
party “celebrated prisoner. They
celebrated fraudster. They met in
Abuja yesterday and discussed to
pardon the fraudster if he can alter the
elections in Lagos State. It is not
possible. We would not give in to
intimidation. We will fight to protect
our votes and stand by it”. On this
note, he simply said the development
of Nigeria was not ludo game of
chance ”.
Tinubu argued that there “can only
happen by the application of vision
and the coming together of the best
brains in the nation. We do not need to
throw the dice and look for the six
and one; it is neither lottery that
depends on luck. Nigeria needs its
best hands and best brains to move
forward, ” urging them to turn out
enmasse during the election days not
just to vote, but to also wait till the end
to see their votes count and forestall
any plan from any quarters to rig the
elections.
In his address, Fashola promised to
deliver more dividends of democracy
to the people in the next four years
with a top agenda to break the jinx of
the housing mortgage scheme in the
state. He recalled that his
administration “has completed more
than 2170 housing units which would
be sold out to Lagos residents at an
affordable price through mortgage
and will be based on the principle of
first come; first serve ”.
Fashola further explained that the
housing estate “is for the rich and the
poor. All you need to do is to pay 30
percent and collect the key. Then you
can pay the balance over 10 to 15
years ”. But he quickly pointed out the
need to allocated to those who really
need them has been our challenge.
But we have been working out
modalities to ensure equal distribution
of the houses across the state ”.
He told a crop of Ndigbo businessmen
that Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ)
“ now caters for the goods and
services they travel as far as China to
import, ” saying the difficulties they
experience in clearing their goods at
the ports was the handiwork of the
PDP-led federal government.
Fashola said his government “has
shown in the last four years that we
are a government for everybody, not a
government for the Yorubas alone ”.
He assured that his cabinet, if re-
elected at the April 9 gubernatorial
polls “will consist of the best brains in
the state regardless of ethnic or
religious leanings ”. He therefore said
the ruling party “has failed us. It can
only guarantee us hardship and
suffering. The PDP is a virus and we
must use our votes to kick them out of
our lives forever ”.