Tosin Ajirire
The newly elected chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos State, Olayiwola Abisoye, has vowed that his party will displace the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the people’s favourite. He stated this at the inauguration of the new executives of the party in Ikeja, Lagos.
He berated the APC for short-changing the electorate: “APC has been getting away with lots of impunity, look at the winning margin. We have approximately 22 million people living in Lagos, look at the way they marginalise.
“It has never been one million, which means we still have more than 20 million people to harness. That is why I said their winning has been a fluke even with all their rigging and election malpractices, they have still not been able to reach the mark.
“Imagine we get our house together, we work together. Our common strategy is to mobilise from grassroots up and we are able to get people of integrity, people who share in the vision of making Lagos a better place and put them together on the same team, then I can assure you that it is going to be a walk in the park.
“APC does not have the people’s mandate. If we ADC can position ourselves well and sell our agenda well, we will have the people’s mandate. It will get to that mandate where the people will take their rightful mandate as it was done in Sudan.
“If we are able to sell our agenda, and we are able to replicate ourselves before you know it, we will be able to get people of like minds. We are not a party that shares money and we believe that politics is not a business. If you are looking for livelihood go and get a job.
“Politics is for service of humanity and you must serve God. We have a lot of people with this mind-set, they are only afraid to come out and identify with this kind of mind-set. What we do for them is to present ADC as a credible alternative and the right platform for them to come on board.
“By the time they come on board and see we are transparent and run an all inclusive government, where everybody has a place to perform, nobody is going to hinder anybody. Lagos is a state that we must take over. We just provide the fertile ground for people to come in, take over and do a good job.”
He lambasted the state government for not putting adequate palliatives in place before banning Okada and Keke operations in major parts of the state, stressing that the move had brought untold hardship on the people:
“There were not enough time and palliative measures put in place, even if they are arguing that what they did was the right thing. If you want to take people’s means of livelihood and you are not providing alternatives, what are you trying to bridge, and you are talking of insecurity and infrastructural decay.
“If you want to come up with such policy, there have to be enough palliative measures and time. Don’t take people for granted, that you are in government does not mean you force things down the throat of the people. Sell your plan to the people, they will buy into it and help implement it. This is what ADC stands for. APC and the likes play politics of money. Have we not sold our birthright enough? ADC seeks changes that will better the lot of the people and glorify God.”
Apart from Abisoye other members sworn in included deputy chairman, Demola Oladimeji; secretary, John Kome; treasurer, Tolu Akinwonmi; financial secretary, Dr Nkem Mordi; publicity secretary, Ronnie Dikko and auditor, Callistus Odoedenam. Others were organising secretary, Chris Arinze; women leader, Mrs Helen Animashaun; youth leader, Kazeem Adeniji; welfare/social secretary, Elkanem Idara; deputy publicity secretary, Mabel Oboh; chief whip, Chief Oswald Olatunbosun; coordinator, Chris Chinaka and ex-officials including Amos Ogungbayi, Chief Chris Ediale and Mary Abojeh.