Lagos for Lagos Group Promoter, Adediran, Joins Guber Race

  Also, Sowumi, Manga pick forms for Ogun, Kebbi

Chuks Okocha

More governorship aspirants  yesterday picked forms to contest in  Lagos, Ogun, and Kebbi States.  Jide Adediran of the Lagos for Lagos fame, who defected with his group from the All progressive Congress (APC) January this year,  paid and obtained the nomination form to enable him contest for the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Similarly,  former spokesman for Atiku Abubakar Campaign  in 2019, Mr. Segun Sowumi obtained  the expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the 2023 governorship election in Ogun State.

 Also,  the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the  PDP, Ibrahim Manga,  obtained the expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the 2023 governorship election in kebbi State.

Addressing newsmen after picking the governorship nomination form, Adediran said   his aim is to ensure that real lagosians govern the state and remove governance from the elites that impose themselves  on the rural populace.

Adediran, the founder of Core Television, said that if he is elected governor of Lagos State by 2023 that he intends to ensure that governance is not limited to already developed cities of Lagos but taken down to unknown rural areas of the state that wallow in poverty.

He explained that the Lagos for Lagos movement  did not defect from the APC to the PDP for nothing,  but to rescue the state from the stronghold of an individual who has been strangulating the state for personal benefits.

“What Lagos needs right now is that breath of fresh air, and that is what I represent, a breath of fresh air in the sense that I haven’t been appointed before. I haven’t been elected before. I’ve been on the sideline, watching and studying the situation and whatever you see us doing today, I want to tell you, it’s a result of a thorough research on how to play the game. That is why we consider ourselves in a very advantaged position to winning the state of Lagos for PDP. And this is largely due to the amount of work that we have put into this. We know it’s not just going to be a tea party to win Lagos from those that have held onto power for the past two decades. This is why we devised our strategy of starting early, that strategy of long-term planning.”

“What is obtainable everywhere is that people come out several months without decision to say they want to run for office. We know it’s gonna take a whole lot from us delivering the gospel of the PDP because of what it is. We all know how important is Lagos to the country, to the economy of Nigeria.

“We moved from APC to PDP on the 21st of January this year. I’m sure you have not witnessed such a movement. The very first time you’ll be having people moving from the ruling party to the opposing one, speaks a lot to what we stand for and what we represent,”, he explained.

On his part,  Showomi yesterday paid and obtained the governorship forms for Ogun state.  He is the second to pick form for Ogun state.  Ladi Adebutu had last week picked the nomination form for the governorship forms. 

Also,  one of the sons of late leader of the PDP,  Ose Aneni yesterday purchased form for the House of Representatives seat for the Esan North and North-west federal constituency.

The Deputy National publicity Secretary,  Manga, after collecting the governorship form, pledged to implement a robust governance blueprint centred on the three thematic areas of agriculture, youth empowerment and security.

Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after obtaining the N21 million nomination forms, Manga said he joined the race, confident of his ability to win the election for the PDP.

He said: “I am not joining the race for the fun of it. I have satisfied my conscience. And I have justified my conviction that I am fit, capable and prepared to drive and steer the ship of Kebbi State as it pleases God Almighty.

“My three fundamental areas of attention if God pleases himself to provide us this opportunity is first agriculture, then the youths and security. These are the critical areas that I have looked at and are suffering beyond human comprehension in my rural state of Kebbi.

“The youths constitute 35 per cent if not more, of the citizens of Kebbi state. And that is the productive class that we are looking at helping to bring them to steer the ship of the state through direct participation and involvement in an all-inclusive government. The youths throughout the country, like you know, have been deprived the opportunity of taking the front burner on national discuss.

“They have been sidelined, marginalized and reduced to soothsayers or opera singers. This is a disturbing scenario. And as someone who is just a little over the youth cycle, I can tell you that I will connect with them conveniently because I understand their language.”

Not unaware of the challenge of governing a state, the PDP publicity scribe said his preparedness for the task is not in doubt, saying: “I have been fully exposed to the workings of government. I understand the dynamics of party politics. I am conversant with contemporary national and global issues.

“I have thorough knowledge and I am a thorough bred technocrat and I can fit in that position (governorship). I have satisfied my conscience and God helping me, I will not disappoint Nigerians, Kebbi state in particular and especially the youth,” he added.

He also pledged to revive the Argungu fishing festival if elected, noting that the annual event which used to attract global dignitaries has since gone moribund due to what he attributed to “poverty of ideas and bad leadership in Kebbi state.”

According to him, the fishing festival attracted 17 African countries and 34 globally recognized dignitaries in 2001 alone, stressing that the glorious days of yore would return when he is elected governor of the agrarian state.