By Chukwudi Nweje
A political support group, Asiwaju Grassroots Talk (AGT), loyal to the presidential bid of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the weekend stated that the future of Nigeria laid in eligible voters casting their votes in 2023.
The group which is on a statewide mobilisation and sensitisation tour of the 57 local government areas (LGAs) and local council development areas (LCDAs) of Lagos State noted that the statewide rally on Lagos Historical National Voting Fortune, with the theme, ‘Political Evangelism: Raising Active Voters above 50 Per cent’ is geared towards educating voters on the need to vote at the 2023 general elections.
Coordinator General of AGT, Dr. Abdulhakeem Adetugbobo, who spoke at the Ojodu local council development areas (LCDAs) edition of a mobilisation and sensitisation seminar vowed to change the electoral fortune of the state by increasing voters’participation in the state by 50 per cent.
He noted that the statewide seminar had become necessary because many eligible voters in Lagos State do not vote at the election.
He said, “We are going around the 57 LGAs and LCDAs, it is an evangelical seminar. We have realised that since 1999, the electoral fortune of Lagos State has been less than 25 per cent of the registered voters. Our research showed that many of the critical stakeholders do not come out to vote.
“So, we are here to educate the people on why they should exercise their franchise. Here in Lagos State we are opportune to produce the presidential candidate of the largest party in Africa, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and we believe that the best thing we can do as a state is to mobilise the people for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. We started well by mobilising the people during the continuous voters registration exercise; you are aware that Lagos State accounted for the highest number of registrants of over seven million fresh registration.
“We believe we should leverage on this so that Lagos State has the highest vote fortune across the country, that is why we are on this statewide seminar.
“The seminar is also to encourage these new registrants to go and collect their permanent voters card (PVC), and also vote.”
In her contribution, Alhaja Olusola Tokumo, APC chair in Ojodu LCDA, noted that apart from sensitising the people, the seminar is also geared towards convincing non-APC members on why they should support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for the 2023 presidency.
She said, “What we are doing is to sensitise the people, those in our party, those that love our party, those that sympathise with our party, and even those that are not in APC on why they should vote for Asiwaju Tinubu during the election.
“Our support base cuts across all ethnic nationalities, you can see that the people here are of other ethnic groups, some are Arewa, some Igbo, some from South South. We also have market women and men, as well as those that do not belong to any political party, so we want to woo them to join us in the APC. We want to show them that the incoming president in 2023, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is capable.
“This seminar is to sensitise the people here, and they will in turn go and sensitise abd mobilise other people to join us in supporting our dear leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for president in 2023.”
One of the youth leaders, Musa AbdulFatai Adesina,said, “Our main objective of being here is to enlighten the people on the voting process and how the coming election is going to be. For those that don’t know it’s going to be a training to tell people the coming election is going to be different from the previous election we have had in the past, that is why we have gathered people here to come and learn more so we give them a little training.”