Bola Badmus – Lagos
Lagos State chapter of Accord Party (AP), on Tuesday formally endorsed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s re-election bid and all the candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for March 18, 2023 election, declaring that it came about its latest position having opted out from its previous alliance with Labour Party (LP).
AP Chairman in Lagos State, Dele Olajide, made this known at a press conference, which took place at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, saying that the party opted out from the previous alliance due to the way his members were treated by LP members and supporters after the February 25 Presidential poll which Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential candidate won in the state.
According to him, Accord Party is endorsing Governor Sanwo-Olu for re-election because of his giant strides in Lagos State, adding that the party’s decision was based on its resolve not to sacrifice various achievements of the Sanwo-Olu-led administration on the altar of bitter politicking.
Oladeji said AP leadership and members would not allow overzealous persons to cast a shadow on Lagos by putting a blemish on it and, therefore, implored “all Lagos residents to come out en-masse on Saturday to re-elect Governor Sanwo-Olu and vote for all APC candidates in the forthcoming elections.”
Speaking on why AP finally dumped LP, Oladeji, who maintained that Peter Obi’s victory in the just-concluded presidential poll was a collective effort of all tribes in the state and not a solo effort of a tribe as being claimed in some quarters, recalled that his party formed alliance with LP because it believed in Obi’s capacity, capability and integrity.
According to him, all his party members worked assiduously for the victory of Obi in the state but LP members and supporters dismissed their contributions to how Obi emerged victorious in Lagos State.
He said no monetary reward or condition was given to LP before AP members in the state decided to work for Obi against the wish of their fellow tribesmen who described them as saboteurs.
“Despite all the naming callings from our tribesmen, we worked work day and night for LP’s victory but after the poll, Obi’s kinsmen discredited their effort and started bragging that Obi’s victory was their solo effort and promising to repeat the same at the forthcoming governorship poll,” Oladeji said.
Besides, he quickly recalled that his party, AP, ahead of the governorship poll, held across the country this Saturday, wrote a letter to LP to renew the alliance, saying the letter was ignored, while the same letter that was written to APC, was responded to swiftly.
Corroborating the support of his party toward Governor Sanwo-Olu’s re-election, Accord Party (AP) Governorship Candidate, Pastor Peter Oboyuwana, announced that he stepped down his ambition for the incumbent Governor Sanwo-Olu due to his efforts at combating COVID-19 pandemic and other laudable infrastructural development put in place by his administration, across the 20 Local Government Areas (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) of the state.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
