Bianca Iboma
Governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), in Lagos State, Chief Owolabi Salis, says the state needs an urgent transformation, but stated that only a visionary leader could achieve that for the state.
In a statement he made, on Saturday, while speaking with newsmen, Salis said he had reviewed the detailed names of Lagos State governorship candidates published by the Independent Electoral Commission(INEC) and he is not intimidated by candidates of other political parties jostling to become governor in the state.
Salis said though INEC had published 41 candidates of various political parties in the state for the 2019 governorship election, he believes that what would change the many frustrations of the people, poverty, neglect, lack of capacity for public governance need to be tackled by a classical thinker for progressive evolution.
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“Lagos is experiencing a wide range of economic and social development issues despite its rich resources to develop it that need to be addressed by a visionary leader so that the state be transformed, basically it is all about performance.
“The publication indicated that 41 political parties will contest the governorship election while 47 would participate in the state Lagos State House of Assembly election.
“More so, the reports states that only APC, PDP, SDP, ADC, AD and MPN fielded candidates for all the 40 seats in the state parliament.
“I am not intimidated by the principal contestants of the other parties. I am not just the candidate of AD but also the candidate of the people.
“AD is a party of the people and the people’s party,” Salis said.
Salis, however, called on the INEC to ensure credible elections, avoid rigging and discourage vote buying and other malpractices in the 2019 general elections.
On alleged imposition of candidates, Salis said that Lagos States deserves an exceptional leader to steer its affairs and not one of a product of imposition.
“A person who possess a deep sense of personal purpose with unshakable self-confidence, who is willing to take personal risk and make sacrifices in order to govern the state.
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“Lagosians are tired of imposition because their commonwealth is with certain individuals,” who has kept the state in abject poverty and systemic slavery he stated.
The governorship candidate also said that AD did not endorse the APC Candidate, Jide Sanwo-olu, saying that the AD was not part of the ‘kangaroo endorsement’.
Also, the Chairman of AD in Lagos State, Mr. Ajayi Kolawole, said the party was fully on ground and engaging with the grassroots.
“We are here to correct the impression that we are not known for, we are not a new party, we have been on ground,” Kolawole said.