A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Lanre Razak, has disagreed with Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would win the 2023 governorship election in the state.
Razak, a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), in Lagos added that the level of achievements in the last two decades would make it impossible for the PDP to defeat the APC in any 2023 elections in the state.
He faulted Makinde’s position at a session with journalists at the weekend, noting that there was no way the PDP could take over Lagos in 2023 even with the achievements of the current state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Makinde and former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George had at a reconciliation meeting boasted that the APC should be ready for defeat in Lagos State come 2023.
But Razaq explained why the PDP would not win Lagos, saying the electorates since the return to democratic rule in 1999 have voted only honest and selfless leaders who were committed to delivering good governance for the greater good of the majority.
He said former President Olusegun Obasanjo tried in vain to capture Lagos State in 2003 and 2007, though the PDP captured other Southwest states that made up the zone.
Razaq said: “We are at home with the progressive governance instituted by the National Leader of the APC and the architect of modern Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu when he was governor between 1999 and 2007 which has transformed the state to be the most economically and financially viable among the 36 states especially his financial wizardry.
“The truth is that only Lagos State that can survive financially and pay its bills without depending on the monthly allocation from the Federation Account. It can also boast of the best infrastructural development among its peers nationwide, which is why the state has retained its magnetic pull to most Nigerians even after the relocation of the Federal Capital Territory to Abuja in August 1991.
“The coming of Sanwo-Olu of the APC has further compounded the woes of the PDP which were overwhelmingly rejected by Lagos residents during the 2019 general election with our great party winning all the national and state legislative seats in the state.
“The achievements of the current administration in less than one year into its four-year mandate which have impacted meaningfully on the people will make it almost impossible for the PDP to win even a councillorship seat in future elections.”
Razak urged the people to support the state government through prompt payment of taxes and rates, obedience to traffic and sanitation laws, as well as reporting the activities of criminal elements to security agencies to maintain the current peace and security across the state.
According to him, the state government could only meet its statutory obligations to the citizens if they fulfil their part of the bargain by promptly discharging their civic duties, which include the payment of taxes and other charges.
