It is obvious that stakeholders in Ikorodu division are leaving no stone unturned to improve the electoral value of the division in the coming general elections by ensuring that the number of votes cast by residents reflects the present population status of the division and consequently bring about more government’s attention which will translates into more development.
Presently, according to the report gathered, residents across the division, are said to be treating colletion of the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) with laxity, as the number of the collected PVCs are far less than 150,000 compared to over 300,000 registered voters in the division.
Stunned by this anomaly, the stakeholders, led by the traditional rulers, organised a sensitisation programme on Monday, January 16,2023, to further enlighten residents on the importance of voting in the general elections, and galvanise them towards collection of their PVCs.
At the event, which was held at the Ikorodu Town hall, there was an impressive turnout of major stakeholders which included royal fathers, political leaders, chieftains of the Community Development Committees/Community Development Associations, Market leaders, traditional chiefs, students and others.
Various speakers at the event, in unison, told the residents that the collection of the electoral cards is the only way of improving the electoral value of the division and bringing in more government’s attention.
They also use the forum to canvassed support and votes for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu the APC Presidential candidate, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governorship candidate and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), at a Town Hall meeting organized by the Ikorodu Divisional Council of Obas and Chiefs, on Monday, January 16, 2023.
Setting the tone for the event, former Commissioner for Agriculture, Asipa Koali Olusanya said that residents should not leave politicians alone to the forthcoming elections.
He charged Baales and other stakeholders in various communities to ensure that their residents go out and collect their PVCs.
“The question for us to ask ourselves is the reason we are here. The reason we are here is for us to know that politics is not only for the politicians. Politics start from each of our households; the head of politics in each Community is their Baale, because the Baale will be the one to account for anything that is happening in his Community. So, don’t just put everything on the Chairman and Counsellor of your community.
“We all know that the polls are around the corner and for us to show our concern, we need to go and collect our PVC, because anyone who fails to collect his or her PVC is just like an enemy to his or her Community. As we all know, Ikorodu division is now big, before now, I can walk freely but now, whenever I am walking, I need to watch around because people are many in Ikorodu now. So, with the population we have in Ikorodu, are we showing it in our votes during elections? With the statistics we have, it shows that with our population in Ikorodu, our votes are up to nothing”, he said.
Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, who was also former Vice Chairman, APC Lagos East Senatorial District, also said that collection of PVCs will boost Ikorodu relevance and political power.
“It will be unfair that on election day, if we only record 40, 000 out of 300, 000 in Ikorodu. For us to even vote, the first step we ought to take is to collect our PVC and it such a pity that the cards we have collected in Ikorodu division so far is not up to 150,000. If you get to the INEC office, you will see a lot of cards that are yet to be collected and if we fail to collect those PVCs, we won’t be able to show the power of Ikorodu’s population. The benefit of collecting the card and using it to vote is that, it will make the government to pay more attention to us in Ikorodu”, Asipa kaoli said.
“If we can have votes of about 200,000, we will be given our Obas the weapons that they will use to fight for us, because after Sanwo-Olu in 2027, it is the turn of Ikorodu. If we want it to be so, it is this election and our votes that will determine if it actually our turn. So, we must not let any vote in Lagos State supersede that of Ikorodu”, he added.
Sen. Mihkail Tokunbo Abiru, the Senator representing the Lagos East Senatorial District at the National Assembly in Abuja, deplored situations in 2015 and 2019 where less than 200, 000 votes were recorded out of more than a million registered voters, while that of Ikorodu was less than 50, 000 votes for APC, out of about 340,000 registered voters.
He charged that there is need for residents to collect their PVCs and be ready to cast their votes in the forthcoming elections.
“Now, let’s come to Ikorodu, in 2015, registered voters were 330,000, and the votes we gathered were just 49,000. In 2019, the registered voters were 336,000, and those who voted for us were just 45, 000. So, we have work to do because the registered voters we have in Ikorodu now is 389, 000. We still have time to collect the PVC and you all have to help us because you are the owners of the town”, Sen. Abiru pleaded.
He charged residents in Ikorodu and Lagos East Senatorial District as a whole to give maximum support to Tinubu and other APC candidates.
Member, House of Representatives representing the Ikorodu Federal Constituency I, Rep. Babajimi Benson, in his own contribution, expressed disappointment at the number of registered voters recorded in Ikorodu despite the mobilization that was carried out, while he also charged that residents should go out to get their PVCs.
“Do you know that Ikorodu division has the highest number of Community Development Association (CDAs) in Lagos State? We have 300, 000 registered voters in Ikorodu division which means that the CDAs only dropped ten people to register in their CDAs, which is unfair. After that, we have about one thousand party excos, which we can equally say that they also dropped ten voters each, that too is also unfair. We have the marketers in Ikorodu division, but their numbers did not add up”, he expressed his disappointment.
“We are not collecting our PVCs, as at today, we have only collected fewer cards, which is also very bad. We ought to be competing with other divisions in Lagos State, but we are not.
“We keep calling ourselves Ikorodu Oga, which we are, but we actually have to show them that indeed we are boss. Everywhere aside from Ikorodu, they do collect more than two thousand PVCs per day, in Alimosho, they do collect 8, 000 PVCs daily, in Eti Osa they do collect 5000 per day, but here, we are still collecting 2000 daily, which is not good enough.
“I believe we can do a lot better because Asiwaju’s government has done a lot for us. Imota Rice Mill is about to kick-start, fourth mainland bridge is also about to start and all the candidates of the Party are doing wonders”, he added.
Hon. SOB Agunbiade, the Majority Leader, Lagos State House of Assembly, emphasized the relationship between votes and development, while calling on the people to collect their PVCs and ensure that they vote for his party’s (APC) candidates.
“One of the major things that government use as a yardstick of bringing development into any community is the population of the place; the registered voters and the number of voters that brought them into power”, he said.
“Today, there are some local governments that are claiming to be more than Ikorodu, whereas, we are more than them. Recently, some set of people worked on bringing Shomolu and Kosofe to merge with Ikorodu because they think that we don’t have the population in Ikorodu division.
“The only thing we can use to talk is our votes and we are going to use it to talk. And that is why we have to vote for Asiwaju this time around so that we can change the narrative on ground and for them to pay us back. We should all come out to vote for all our candidates because we are voting for ourselves and the future of our children.
“I urge all the religious leaders and other people to canvass and vote for our candidates”, he urged.
Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, chieftain of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) who also spoke at the Town Hall meeting, said other states are recoding more votes because residents of Lagos are not coming out to vote. He charged royal fathers to assist in mobilizing people to vote.
“We are not asking our traditional rulers and chiefs to come and join our party, but why we are requesting you to assist us in mobilizing is because we have our person contesting for the Presidency”.
“The reason some states are getting more votes is because people in Lagos State are not coming out to vote and now we want to change the narrative because of Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, the elder statesman added.
“So, we want our Kabiyesis to help us urge them all to go and get their PVCs because we can’t do it all alone. We also need them to help us monitor our polling stations and we have also informed our party members to also monitor each polling station”.
His Royal Majesty, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi, the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, charging residents to get their PVCs and vote, added that Ikorodu will support the government in power for more development.
“All we are clamoring for in Ikorodu division is development and I always pray that I will never oppose development because if we want development, we will not oppose the government in power. I will be among those that will open the new Rice Mill in Imota. With this development, we have seen that some of our Baales are saying that some of our indigenes are getting employed”, Ayangbure said.
“The main issue is the voters’ card, and I want you to go and get your PVCs.
“I want you to remember when our father, Oyefusi (Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi, former Ayangbure of Ikorodu), went to vote for the opposition, they didn’t dethrone him but they did removed him from certain position. So, we are planning to do the same thing, which is that, any Baale who fails to deliver his community, we, the Kings, will collect his beads from him and keep it.
“As JB has (Rep. Babajimi Benson) said that your performance during this election will be the yardstick that he will use to bring projects and development into your community. So, I am urging you all to go and get your voters card and that is why we brought the INEC officials to this venue today for those of us that are yet to collect our PVC. I was sent a text message here by someone who is telling me that he will deliver his street to Bola Tinubu. He just sent that to me now, which I showed the Special Adviser to the Governor. Can we also beat our chest and say we will deliver our street?”, Oba Shotobi asked.
“I want to use this opportunity to promise the Baales that any community that has the highest percentage of votes in the coming election, the Special Advsier and myself will work for you till you become a King.
The royal father also called for support for the candidates of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu and others.
Meanwhile, the Odofin of Igbogbo, High Chief Tajudeen Duduyemi Onasanya who headed the planning committee of the event, in his brief remarks, assured the state government and royal fathers that residents in various communities are being mobilized to collect their PVCs and vote.
He assured that traditional chiefs and Baales are ready to work with traditional rulers across the division towards ensuring that Ikorodu records large turnout of voters.
By the time curtain was drawn on the programme by 2.40 pm, both the stakeholders and residents agreed that the current lackadaisical approach towards PVCs collection needs to change in order to enhance the electoral value of the division in the forthcoming general elections.