A group of Awori ethnic speaking leaders in Alimosho Federal Constituency of Lagos has urged the leadership of the opposition African Democratic Congress, (ADC) to list their son, Mr. Olalekan Abdulmojeed Anjolaiya, as its candidate for the forthcoming general election.
In a statement issued to newsmen in Lagos the Coordinator of the Awori Renaissance Forum, (ARF), Alhaji Muraina Ajala, stated that doing so would end the continued marginalisation of his people in the constituency.
Alhaji Ajala stated that it would a miscarriage of justice for the party to field a non-indigene while his people have enough competent sons and daughters to represent them in the National Assembly.
According to him, doing so would help the indigenous Awori speaking people to produce a representative for the constituency and that it would end years of continued marginalisation of his people.
He added that the call is premised on the report indicating that the candidate who had initially been presented by the party had been disqualified by the ADC leadership for engaging in multiple party registration.
“We are using this opportunity to call on the leadership of the ADC to right the wrong being meted to our son and standard bearer, Hon. Olalekan Anjolaiya, who is the only hope of the indigenous Awori people of Alimosho.
“Our appeal is to the national leadership of the party, particularly, the National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, whom we believe has the power to do the needful in this instance.
“Of particular concern to us is the collective injustice being meted to our people who are indigenous to Alimosho. It pains us to state that there is a well-coordinated plan to shut us out of power by the various political parties in Lagos State, particularly, here in Alimosho Federal Constituency,” Alhaji Ajala wrote on behalf of the group.
According to him, the Awori speaking people have been continuously sidelined by political gladiators in the who have elected to always present non-indigenes to represent the constituency when there are qualified sons and daughters in the area.
The group added that Hon. Anjolaiya is a son of the soil who is known to the community and that his contributions have earned him a chieftaincy title in his native Igando town.
“The affected member is known to us and he has contributed so much to the development of Aworiland, particularly his native Igandoland. These have prompted the traditional ruler of Igando, Oba Lasisi Gbadamosi, who recently bestowed on him, the title of Bobakeye of Igandoland,” the statement explained.
The group stated that it would be a double jeopardy for the Awori speaking people should a non-indigene is allowed to represent them at the National Assembly.
“We are even more concerned that the only time we have been represented by one of us is now but our incumbent representative, Hon. Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, who has been denied a return ticket by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). We don’t want our son, Olalekan Anjolaiya to suffer the same fate and this is why we are making the clarion call,” Alhaji Ajala said.