Politics
MR Mobolaji Ogunlende, Pioneer of Real Acts of Kindness (RAK) Foundation, has called for stronger opposition in Lagos state to encourage good governance, checks and balances at the grassroots level.
Ogunlende made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry on Sunday.
He spoke against the backdrop of the local government elections held across Lagos state on Saturday, where the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the chairmanship seats declared by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
According to the him, “I did not see any serious opposition on ground in Badagry where I voted.
“In all honesty, we would have loved to see vibrant opposition that will create checks and balances in the state.
“In Badagry, there were a few opposition parties but we would have loved to see more because the beauty of democracy is when we have various political parties vying for different posts.
“But the election clearly shows that it is only APC that is ‘existing’ in Lagos.
“It would have been better if we see people coming out from different political parties and the polls conducted in a level-playing field.
“This will give residents the opportunity to choose the best of the best, but when you are having one or two parties, one is limited to few options.
“If we had 10 parties participating, the electorates will make their choices based on credibility, accountability and transparency,” he said.
Ogunlende, however, commended LASIEC and security operatives for providing a conducive environment for residents to cast their votes.
According to him, the election was very fair and peaceful, there was no incident in Badagry communities throughout.
“I was privileged to visit three communities in Badagry and the election was fair and credible.
“The electoral officers were on ground doing their lawful duty and there was presence of security operatives and volunteers in every polling unit I visited,” he said.
“The just-concluded council poll is just the beginning and we will surely get to the top,” he said, urging winners to work positively to move their local governments forward.
“The re-elected chairmen should challenge themselves to do better while the fresh chairmen should work towards a better well-being of grassroots dwellers.” (NAN)
– July 25, 2021 @ 16:15 GMT |
