A former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofo Bucknor-Akerele has urged Labour Party (LP) supporters known as ‘Obidients’ to free the state from the “tyranny” of over 20 years.
She stated this at a press conference on Wednesday in the Ikeja area of Lagos when she endorsed the LP governorship candidate for the March 11 election in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
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“I will like to thank the people of Lagos State because our freedom has just begun but we are only halfway there; we have to complete it on Saturday,” Bucknor-Akerele declared at the event well-attended by the Rhodes-Vivour family and chieftains of the pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere.
Bucknor-Akerele, who deputised former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu from 1999 to 2003, applauded youths for coming out to vote during the February 25 Presidential National Assembly elections.
She said Lagos has had “enough of rule by touts” and charged Obidients not to be intimidated by political thugs who might want to attack polling units on Saturday as recorded during the presidential and National Assembly polls.
“I was so proud to see young people who came out to vote on election day. I say thank you but please don’t let that victory slip from our hands. You have brought us victory; don’t let these people intimidate you,” the former Lagos deputy governor stated.
“We have had enough of rule by touts in Lagos State. Everywhere you go at the bus stops, you see touts with the sticks beating people, driving people, is that the sort of government we want in Lagos State? Enough is enough. As we say in Yoruba, ‘O to ge!’
“Please come out in your millions. We registered over seven million votes in Lagos State. What happened? We know the figure that they wrote for us is not the correct figure but I beg you all, all of you who have voters cards, come out and free us from the tyranny that we have been undergoing for the last 20 years and more.”
Aside from the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is seeking reelection under the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rhodes-Vivour has his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Olajide Adediran aka Jandor to contend with in the exercise.