Don’t Intimidate Igbo Voters, Tinubu Warns Lagos NURTW Leaders

Emmanuel OgunremiMarch 6, 2019

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Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has warned the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State chapter, to ensure that their members didn’t destabilise the peace of the state during Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections.

He gave the admonition during a meeting with the leadership of the union at a meeting in his Bourdillion, Ikoyi residence on Tuesday.

It was reported in the media that members of the union harassed Igbo traders especially in Mushin, Surulere and Oshodi areas of the state for allegedly voting against the APC during the elections while some of them engaged in ballot box snatching in areas alleged to be strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Tinubu, who expressed his displeasure over the rumoured attacks on non-indigenes in some parts of the state during and after the presidential and National Assembly elections by members of the union, said Igbo residents in Lagos are free to vote for any candidate of their choice during elections.

One of Tinubu’s aide, who was privy to the meeting said Tinubu who said elections should not cause disunity and war among Nigerians also warned the leaders of the union against incidents of ballot box snatching, intimidation and harassment of voters, saying anyone who engages in such acts will have himself to blame.

During the meeting, Tinubu also appealed to the leaders to enjoin their members to vote for Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governorship candidate of the APC, in the elections so as to ensure continuity of good governance in the state.

According to his aide, “It was a very brief meeting. During the meeting, he didn’t mince words in telling them that he will not condone attacks on non-indigenes, especially Igbo residents in the state. He said they are free to vote for any political party or candidates of their choice without threats of harassment and intimidations from anyone in the state.

“He also warned the union leaders to ensure that none of their members in their domain engaged in incidents of ballot snatching or violence in any form. He asked them not to interfere in anyway with the voting process, warning that anyone caught causing mayhem will have himself to blame.

“Lastly, he solicited for votes for his candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whom he believes can continue with the masterplan of Lagos, the foundation which he laid when he governed the state from 1999 to 2007”.

In a related development, the leadership of the PDP on Tuesday said the APC is plotting to destabilise the governorship elections.

Speaking with Daily Independent, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, said reports from parts of the country indicate that the APC is working towards causing havoc in Lagos and South-South states.

He said, “APC has a plot to destabilise the governorship election. Because wherever you turned to you see anti-democratic tendencies from them. In Lagos, there is a campaign of calumny against members of PDP. In the South-South, there is militarisation that led to deaths of people during the presidential election.

“We just hope that the APC will not turn our nation into a keg of gunpowder. For us in the PDP, it is worrisome that APC is deliberately working towards havoc on the election day. But whoever sows the wind will reap the whirlwind and the earlier that the APC allows for a peaceful election, the better for all of us and our nation”, he said.