Agege LG poll: Allow your son to contest, stakeholders urge Obasa

Ahead of the local government election in Lagos State, stakeholders in Agege Local Government, including community leaders, lawmakers, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have appealed to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, to yield to their demand and allow his son, Abdulganiyu Vinod Obasa, to contest for the district chairmanship seat.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) recently announced July 12 as the date for the chairmanship and councillorship elections across the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs in the state.

Speaking at a press conference held on Monday, the Executive Chairman of Agege LG, Hon. Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders, appealed to Obasa to accede to their request for his son to run for the chairmanship.

He said, “It’s our heartfelt wish that Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa rescinds his opposition to our collective aspiration of making Ganiyu Vinod Obasa our next council chairman.

“Our agitation stems from the indisputable fact that Vinod has the capacity to take Agege to greater heights, given his outstanding involvement in community service, experience, exposure, and academic achievements.

“This is someone who holds both first and second degrees from universities in the UK in Accounting and Finance, and is currently a PhD student at Babcock University.

“He is equally not lacking in experience, having worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He later joined Providus Bank before moving to Parallex Bank, where he left as the Head of Performance Management and Strategy to start his own business, a going concern in the real estate and farming sectors.”

Egunjobi, who spoke on behalf of stakeholders including the lawmaker representing Agege 02, Hon. Jubreel Abdulkareem, APC Party Chairman in the local government, Alhaji Tunde Disco, and Chief Safari Aderanijo, further highlighted the impressive track record of Obasa Jnr., noting that his football academy, VINOD FA, under the umbrella of Kings Sports, is making a positive impact in the community.

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“To my knowledge, over four footballers from his academy here in Agege are currently in Europe on the verge of signing professional contracts. So, we may have another Kunle Soname of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council on our hands,” the council chairman added.

The stakeholders declared that the youthfulness of the Speaker’s son aligns with the current trend in council administration, adding that their motive for urging the Speaker to support his son’s bid for the council chairmanship is to reward his commitment to the growth and development of Agege.

“How old was I when I became the council chairman eight years ago? Same with the vice chairman during my first term— he was even younger than I was. The current vice chairman is also much younger than me.

“We see our earnest desire to have Abdulganiyu as our council chairman as a way of rewarding the numerous humanitarian efforts of the Speaker in Agege and beyond.

“Obasa has lifted several families out of poverty by helping them secure jobs in the civil service and through political appointments. For most of us, this is payback time,” Egunjobi affirmed.