A pro-democracy campaign group, Campaign for Dignity in Governance, CDG, has revealed the secret behind the second term victory of the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, which it wants other political parties and even political office holders to learn from to attain success like Sanwo-Olu.
Convener and National President of the group, Comrade Razaq Olokoba, in a brief chat with newsmen in Lagos on Sunday morning said that hard work, commitment to excellent service to humanity, walking the talk and attention to the details, as well as listening ears to the people, all combined together, and worked well for the governor in his quest for a second term in office.
Olokoba added that all the above-mentioned qualities served as solid electioneering pillars for Sanwo-Olu, around which vote canvassers revolve their campaign slogans that gave the governor a solid edge over his opponents, who never had anything upon which to base their promises.
He said, “And because the governor carries the people along, they became part of the success story and support him to continue the performance beyond one term in office.”
Speaking further, Olokoba, who is also a Chartered Public Administrator, CPA, and member, Nigeria Institute of Management, MNIM, added that when you carry the people along in your administration, you can be assured of their support and they will be offering useful advise, correct you when you are about to derail and commend you when you are doing well, reminding that “it is natural for human beings to love continuity of good things like the type Sanwo-Olu is offering the people of Lagos State.”
The vocal leader of several civil society organizations, CSOs, said that Sanwo-Olu has provided campaign materials in preparation for his second term before the official lid was removed from the electioneering, late last year through his brilliant performance in office, saying, “That made the whole electioneering look like a picnic and the election proper on March 18 a mere formality.”
Against that premises, Olokoba therefore admonished other political parties and even individual office holders to let their performance work and campaign for them, because people are watching them in readiness to pay them back at the appropriate time, pointing out that “Sanwo-Olu reaped the fruits of his performance from the people he served well at the poll on March 18.”
Going down the memory lane, the CDG boss reminded that a reference point can be seen in the current Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, who he said his first term performance as governor of Lagos State paved way for his second term, just like what happened to Sanwo-Olu now, stating that “even members of the opposition parties voted for Fashola to swing to his second term in office in 2011.”
Rounding off, Olokoba emphasised the need for performance in office because since democracy is a vehicle for people’s welfare, anybody that is providing such welfare would be supported by the people, irrespective of which political party he comes from, asserting that “Sanwo-Olu’s successful swim to his second term in office is neither miraculous nor magical, but superlative performance.”
