Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Leader of
the All Progressives Congress (APC), has warned the leadership of the
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State chapter,
to ensure that their members didn’t destabilise the peace of the state
during Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections.
He
gave the admonition during a meeting with the leadership of the union
at a meeting in his Bourdillion, Ikoyi residence on Tuesday.
It
was reported in the media that members of the union harassed Igbo
traders especially in Mushin, Surulere and Oshodi areas of the state for
allegedly voting against the APC during the elections while some of
them engaged in ballot box snatching in areas alleged to be strongholds
of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Tinubu, who expressed his
displeasure over the rumoured attacks on non-indigenes in some parts of
the state during and after the presidential and National Assembly
elections by members of the union, said Igbo residents in Lagos are free
to vote for any candidate of their choice during elections.
One
of Tinubu’s aide, who was privy to the meeting said Tinubu who said
elections should not cause disunity and war among Nigerians also warned
the leaders of the union against incidents of ballot box snatching,
intimidation and harassment of voters, saying anyone who engages in such
acts will have himself to blame.
During the meeting, Tinubu also
appealed to the leaders to enjoin their members to vote for Babajide
Sanwo-Olu, governorship candidate of the APC, in the elections so as to
ensure continuity of good governance in the state.
According to
his aide, “It was a very brief meeting. During the meeting, he didn’t
mince words in telling them that he will not condone attacks on
non-indigenes, especially Igbo residents in the state. He said they are
free to vote for any political party or candidates of their choice
without threats of harassment and intimidations from anyone in the
state.
“He also warned the union leaders to ensure that none of
their members in their domain engaged in incidents of ballot snatching
or violence in any form. He asked them not to interfere in anyway with
the voting process, warning that anyone caught causing mayhem will have
himself to blame.
“Lastly, he solicited for votes for his
candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whom he believes can continue with the
masterplan of Lagos, the foundation which he laid when he governed the
state from 1999 to 2007”.
In a related development, the
leadership of the PDP on Tuesday said the APC is plotting to destabilise
the governorship elections.
Speaking with Daily Independent,
Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, said
reports from parts of the country indicate that the APC is working
towards causing havoc in Lagos and South-South states.
He said,
“APC has a plot to destabilise the governorship election. Because
wherever you turned to you see anti-democratic tendencies from them. In
Lagos, there is a campaign of calumny against members of PDP. In the
South-South, there is militarisation that led to deaths of people during
the presidential election.
“We just hope that the APC will not
turn our nation into a keg of gunpowder. For us in the PDP, it is
worrisome that APC is deliberately working towards havoc on the election
day. But whoever sows the wind will reap the whirlwind and the earlier
that the APC allows for a peaceful election, the better for all of us
and our nation”, he said.
Source:- Independentng
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