By Damilola Kushimo
The councillorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Apena Ward, Comrade Isiaq Oladimeji Shonubi (IOS) has charged Lagos State Independent Electoral Committee (LASIEC) to conduct free and fair elections.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of his campaign organisation (IOS Campaign Organisation), Shonubi boasted of winning the election if it is free and fair.
He explained that the inauguration is only to ceremoniously induct members of the team, noting that the team has been up and doing before now and will only intensify the campaign activities.
Shonubi, who will be contesting with Yusuf Agbabiaka of the All Progressives Party (APC), explained that his party is hoping to take advantage of the lingering crisis in the ruling party, reiterating his positivity for victory at the polls if the election is credible, free and fair.
While addressing his supporters and party leaders during the ceremony, he explained that his aspiration was conceived on the need to sustainably establish Interactive Representation, Organised welfare and Smart empowerment which he codenamed (IOS) for his constituents in addition to his primary function of lawmaking.
He, however, appealed to LASIEC to intensify efforts on publicity about the election, saying it is one of the ways to ensure that voter apathy that has always characterised LG elections does not occur.
“Members of the campaign team have been up and doing before now and they will continue to do their job and after the launching, we will proceed with door-to-door campaign. We want to reach everyone in the community. I can’t rate my acceptance in the community for now, because it is not by mere talk, the ballot will do that but we are going into the election with 100%, positivity. It has been God all the way, the acceptance has been encouraging. We want LASIEC to conduct a free and credible poll; a level playing ground, by doing so, we believe that we will come out victorious.
“In politics, it’s an advantage to the opposition when the ruling party has crisis, they (APC) have internal crisis and we are hoping to capitalise on that; that’s politics. Nevertheless, we have the supports of electorate; the voters, we have them with us. We have the necessary supports to come out on top and to complement that, we are working hard to mobilise and sensitise people about the election. A lot of people know about the election but they don’t know the date and that’s because LASIEC has not done well to sensitise people about the election by making much publicity and that’s why we might have voter apathy but in Apena and Okota in general, we are working hard to keep people abreast of the election and hopefully we will have reasonable turnout by the grace of God.”
The inauguration of the 14-man campaign team headed by Comrade Azeez Hamzat with Comrade Vincent Eze as the adviser was attended by many party stalwarts and leaders including the party’s LGA vice-chairperson, Mrs Beauty Onwuyi, the party leader, Hon. Lateef Olowora, the ward chairman, Mr Adeoye Adekunle, LGA Woman Leader, Mrs Taibat Afolabi, the party’s Vice-Chairmanship candidate, Hon. Goodman Ahuekwe, the councillorship candidate of Okota Ward, Hon. Kazeem Ilelaboye and others.
