MARCH 12 , 2023 | EASTERN PILOT Report By: Wale Odunsi | A group known as Leaders After God’s Own Spirit Initiative A New State (LAGOSIANS...
MARCH 12 , 2023 | EASTERN PILOT
Report By: Wale Odunsi |
A group known as Leaders After God’s Own Spirit Initiative A New State (LAGOSIANS) has raised concern over the ethnic dimension of the coming governorship election in Lagos. Convener of the group, Bolaji Akinyemi addressed reporters on Saturday, calling on stakeholders to douse the tension over the division among politicians and followers. Akinyemi, the leader of Apostolic Roundtable (an independent platform for pastors), urged them to stop the drumbeats of war.
The cleric appealed to the people not to allow political activities and inflammatory narratives lead them to an avoidable war. “We have seen dynamics being thrown up, like ‘the Igbos want to take over Lagos, the Yoruba must not allow them’, NAN quoted. “I doubt if we are going to have an election on Saturday in Lagos if we do not douse this narrative that is gaining momentum.” Akinyemi stressed the importance to bring everybody together and to discuss the way forward so as to calm nerves.
“We cannot have a Lagos where the Igbos cannot stay in Lagos, where markets are getting burnt.” The convener said residents have lived as good neighbours over the decades and must not allow disruptive individuals and groups to throw a spanner in the relationship. Akinyemi added that Lagos State needs an independent governor not tied to the apron of a godfather in order to effectively serve.
Recall that Ahead of Saturday’s postponed governorship election, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Femi Fani-Kayode, has said the party will not allow the Labour Party, LP, governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, hand over the state to Igbos. Fani-Kayode noted that Yorubas and Igbos were subjected to torture in the Southeast during the presidential election. In a series of tweets, the politician said some Igbos were killed in the Southeast for voting for the President-elect. According to Fani-Kayode: “How can such a well brought up & distinguished young man be one of those that joined the mob to burn buses during the Endsars riots?
“How can he be one of those that turns his back on his own Yoruba people, hero worship secessionists like Ojukwu & conspire to hand over Lagos to the Igbos? Can any Igbo man do that for a Yoruba in the East? Is he aware of what the Yoruba were subjected to in parts of the east during the just concluded presidential election? “Does he know the number of Igbos that were killed, tortured & whose homes were burnt in the east simply because they dared to vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Yoruba man?
“I love the Igbo & I believe in a plural society which welcomes all ethnic nationalities & creeds but to hand Lagos over to them as a way of compensating them for their past woes is absurd. “That would be absurd and suicidal and we will NEVER allow it to see the light of day. What happened to this otherwise brilliant and cerebal young man called Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour? What has got into him? Is he possessed? Is he in need of prayer and deliverance?”
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