Governorship Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Dr. Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor), has called on President Muhamnadu Buhari and Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Akali Baba to live up to expectation and ensure a crisis-free campaign in the state, saying that he was resolved to continue with his ward to ward campaign for the 2023 General Elections and would not succumb to any intimidation.
The PDP governorship candidate made the call on Sunday at a conference he addressed in Ikeja, and attended by the party chairman, Hon. Phillip Aivodje, other party chieftains, and some market women were victims of attacks, carried out by thugs believed to have been sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Jandor, who made the call against the background of series of attacks on his campaign train and that of his deputy, Ms. Funke Akindele had suffered in recent times, since he flagged off his ward to ward campaign last year October, however, commended the State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, for doing his best to arrest the ugly situation.
This was just as he said it was about time the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, allow Lagosians to make their choice in a democratic manner of who they want to rule them in the forthcoming governorship poll, promising that he on his path would do “everything within the confine of law to do our campaign.”
“It is about time the sitting governor allows the people of Lagos to have their choice of who they want as their governor in a democratic manner. On our part, we would do everything within the confined of law to do our campaign.
“I want to commend the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, he has been there to do what he can do to arrest the ugly situation on the ground.
“But we cannot but call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police to live up to expectation and their responsibilities to let us do our campaigns in Lagos without any form of attacks,” he said.
Speaking on the series of attacks that had been unleased so far on his campaign train across the state, Jandor, noted that it was based on the resolve of the ruling party not to allow his party, PDP, to have any visibility as it was denied use of billboards, among others that made him embark on the ward to ward campaign.
According to him, the first attack against his campaign train came in Badagry on October 23, the second day of his campaign to the area, saying it was followed by another one that took place in Agege, and followed by a similar incident in Kosofe, where his deputy, Akindele was attacked and prevented from entering the fruit market by thugs, who still ensured that the market women who were victims of the incident, were still prevented from gaining access to their shops up till this very moment.
The PDP governorship candidate, who spoke on recent attack in Surulere area of the state, insisted that he was not in anyway involved in the crisis, saying that the ruling party was only trying “to turn things around” to favour them.
“The next thing was in Surulere, the first day was okay for us.
“The second day I was in the mosque to pray, and as I stepped out of the mosque and I heard the attackers, they were asking where is Jandor, where is Jandor? They hijacked our vehicles and damaged them. The ruling party was only turning things around,” he said.
Jandor said 2023 was beyond him, but between the people of Lagos and the status quo, declaring that it was about time for Lagosians to break the monopoly and elect with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) a governor who is not answerable to the beck and calls of a godfather.
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On the governorship debate which was scheduled to hold today but, which Governor Sanwo-Olu had withdrawn from, Jandor said he was not surprised, querying: “What is your expectation of a governor who said he would not be seeking reelection if he was not able to fix traffic gridlock in the state and a governor who met poverty rate at 4.2per cent but it’s now 8.5per cent?
Jandor said the excuse the governor gave which had to do with attacks and safety was not tenable as, according to him, it was him that was attacked and not the governor.
He noted that it spoke volumes if Governor Sanwo-Olu as Chief Security Officer of the state “cannot guarantee his own safety,” declaring that he was prepared to feature at the debate which he said had been shifted about four times in the past.
“It just worries me that the Chief Security Officer of a state is saying he is not safe, I am safe and I will go everywhere in Lagos,” he said.
“The debate wasn’t put together for me or Sanwo-Olu, it is for the people of Lagos State. I will go, he has given me the role of big brother to play. I will go because I want the people of Lagos to listen to me and know what I want to offer. This 2023, they wouldn’t come again,” he added.
Also speaking, PDP Chairman in the state, Hon. Aivodji, condemned the incessant attacks on party members, saying similar incidents were happening in villages and hamlets across the state, but quickly affirmed that PDP would not be intimidated.
He said the moment Jandor started his ward-to-ward campaign, the APC became jittery, calling also on the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba, to intervene, using his good offices to allow crisis-free campaign in the state.
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