Ahead of the October 10 governorship election in Ondo state, the people of Ilaje community of the state have called on the leading political parties to zone the governorship ticket to aspirants from the area in the interest of equity and justice.
The people under the auspices of Ilaje Advancement Forum in a statement made available to Tribune Online on Wednesday averred that the local government has been marginalized since the creation of the state in 1976, saying they were the only tribe yet to produce a governor nor deputy governor.
The group also said it has commissioned a new medicine shop belonging to one Mrs Menukuro Kehinde, allegedly burnt down by navy officers in Igbokoda after all efforts to seek help for her failed.
The group in the statement signed by the Moderator, Daodu Olajuwon and the Director of Protocol, Charles Adebanjo revealed that they have written to the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other stakeholders on the need for the oil-rich region to produce the next governor of the state.
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According to the group, ” We stand for Ilaje Agenda and nothing more and this our stance is solely premised on justice and fair play which is the hallmark of all beautiful democracies worldwide.
” Even though we are just officially making this public today, we have been working round the clock in the last one year to ensure that the Ilaje people whose turn is it to govern Ondo state isn’t denied their legitimate right being the only major tribe in Ondo state who has neither been the governor nor the deputy governor of this state since its creation in 1976.
” For the records, in the last one year, we have written to all the major political parties on the need for all parties to feature only an Ilaje candidate if they are desirous of winning. ”
They further called on the state House of Assembly to as a matter of urgency reinstate the suspended lawmaker representing Ilaje constituency two, Honourable Favour Tomomewo, who was reportedly suspended for declining join in the impeachment process of the embattled deputy governor.
While describing the suspension of the lawmaker as illegal, the group noted that they would the state capital in a protest if she was not reinstated within the next 72 hours.
” We may have to place on record that the suspension of a representative by the house is an attempt at rendering her constituents voiceless which is against the spirit and letters of the law and as rightly interpreted by the courts in a number of cases where the suspended members were reinstated.
” We are also not oblivious of the fact that it is an illegal suspension which does not reflect the wishes of the people been represented but to satisfy the inordinate interest and parochial desires of some selfish individuals in the Party.
” We hereby call on the Inspector General of Police to prevail on the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly to reinstate Honourable Favour Semilore within 72 hours or the state capital will witness the mass exodus of unarmed Ilaje crusaders on every major road in Akure forthwith, ” IAF said.
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