Ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections, 31 civil society organisations, under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CCSOs, superintendent by its convener, Comrade Razaq Olokoba, on Friday held a strategic meeting in Lagos to strategize how the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, would win the coming governorship election.
Addressing members of 31 civil society groups present, the convener Comrade Olokoba explained that the meeting was necessary in view of what happened last week Saturday, February 25, during the presidential election, where a supposedly non-existent opposition party, the Labour Party, LP, defeated all other parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State.
Olokoba said, “If the presidential election was governorship poll, the story would have been deferent by now!”
He, however, made it abundantly clear that, the CSOs don’t belong to any political party, insisting that they just want good governance under Sanwo-Olu to continue, saying, “Our concern is the welfare of the citizenry, irrespective of which party is providing it.”
He reminded the CSOs that the main duty of the civil society groups “is not only to condemn and criticize bad government, but it is also about praising and encouraging performing government with a view to gingering it to do more.”
Olokoba averred that if democracy is all about the welfare of the citizenry and somebody is doing it well, there is therefore no reason such a performing administrator should be stopped abruptly when he still has a constitutionally allowed period to complete the good job he has started.
He asserted, “As we are seated here for this meeting, we recognise the good work Sanwo-Olu has been doing since his inauguration in 2019 and we want it continued for the benefit of the people that gave him the mandate.”
In addition, the meeting reasoned that it would be disastrous to hand over Lagos State to someone without a prerequisite knowledge or experience of governance to use it as trial and error experiment, advising the governor to ensure an all-inclusive civil society engagement before the election next Saturday, 11th of March, 2023.
The meeting therefore came up with far-reaching recommendations that would be conveyed to the governor this weekend.
The communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, jointly signed by the convener, Razaq Olokoba, co-convener, Nelson Ekujume and Secretary, Titi Akosa, reads thus in part: “Issues and Strategies by Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly Elections in Lagos State.
“Coalition of Civil Society in Lagos State held a strategic meeting today, Friday, March 3, to discuss the way forward in mobilizing the electorates for the forthcoming gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections scheduled to hold on March 11, 2023 in Lagos State.
“The meeting identified critical issues which the ruling party needs to engage in ahead of the elections. Some of the issues and recommendations include but not limited to; CSOs need to be carried along in the mobilization for votes. An all-inclusive CSOs meeting should be convened with immediate effect; honorable, respectable and acceptable people in the community should be sensitized to influence people to vote for the governor; need for government to strengthen and renew engagement with CDAs and CDCs in the state; souvenirs should be made available for use by canvassers before the election day; all permanent secretaries of Lagos State government should go and mobilize their constituents; likewise, all the LGs and LCDAs chairmen, councilors and all their other functionaries to go to their bases for same; all political appointees to be mandated to go back to base to mobilize for votes.”
Some of the leaders that represented their organizations at the meeting were, Ekudina Ibrahim, Egbe Omoluabi, Eko; Omobanke Razak, Campaign Against Corrupt Nigerians; Aseosun Adekunle, Speak Out24/7; Omolola Olukayode, Movement For A Better Lagos; Olawale Oladipupo, Epe Youth Movement; Prince Dare Aladekoba, Coalition Against Corruption; James Adeyemi, Black Youth Vanguard; Omolola Olukayode, Nigeria Peace Advocacy Group; and Comrade Funmilayo J. Ajayi, among others.
