Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, is seeking the cooperation of religious bodies for the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s election and also for support to achieve his re-election bid.
In a meeting held on Tuesday, with traditional, Muslim and Christian bodies, the governor also sought the successful outing of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearers for the House of Assembly election in the state on Saturday.
Governor Makinde was represented at the Interfaith Stakeholders Engagement Meeting, held at the Ministry of Justice Conference room, by his Executive Assistant on Administration, Rev Idowu Ogedengbe.
He noted that the engagement was basically to appeal to the faith communities, through their leaders, across the length and breadth of the state, to maintain the peaceful atmosphere that had been enjoyed since the beginning of his administration until now.
- Gubernatorial Election: Clergymen Task Governors With Maintaining Peace, Unity
- Electoral Body Sensitises Physically Challenged Persons On Elections
The governor commended the religious leaders and maintained that the appeal became expedient, particularly, as the state was going for its gubernatorial and state assembly elections on Saturday, March 11. He added that his desire is for the state to remain united, undivided and close-knit after the whole exercise is over.
Makinde said: “It is important that we remind our people that all power belongs to God Almighty and it is He that gives power to whosoever He wills. Under a democratic dispensation as this, the choice of whom God has graciously given the authority to lead the people is usually manifested through the inalienable rights of the people to vote and be voted for.”
He posited that although he was seeking re-election, the decision to re-elect him as governor for another four years belonged to the people of Oyo State.
He said that was the message he wanted the religious leaders to take to the people because election is not a do-or-die affair but an opportunity for the people to freely choose their leaders without any form of bias, intimidation or coercion.
Stewardship
The governor noted that while he is offering himself for re-election, he wanted the people to carefully appraise his stewardship in the last four years as a basis for their decision to choose him over others, saying his good works from Ibadan to Oke Ogun, Ogbomoso, Saki, Iseyin and across other towns in the state, had spoken loudly and been attested to by the people.
He stated: “We sincerely want to plead with the electorate not to allow our religious differences be used as a tool to misjudge any of the candidates, to sow seeds of hatred, to instigate conflict or to cause unnecessary disaffection among us as a people.”
Makinde pleaded that youths should be discouraged from being used by politicians to carry out any form of nefarious activity that could undermine the election process, saying regardless of the religion professed, everyone shares in the pain of poverty induced by bad leadership or the joy of prosperity brought by good leadership and should place the good of all above individual religious beliefs.
“In choosing those to lead us, therefore, let us not allow religious sentiments to becloud our sense of judgment. Our major consideration should not be with respect to the religion they practice but rather it must be based on the verifiable good works that they have used their offices and positions to achieve in the past,” the governor said.
He urged the other stakeholders in the forthcoming elections to conduct their various oversights and activities only in ways that engender peace and stability in the land, praying that the elections would go down in the history of the state as the most peaceful, transparent, free, fair and credible elections that was ever conducted.
In their separate remarks, the representatives of the various religious bodies vowed to speak to their adherents not to be used for nefarious activities by desperate politicians, during and after the elections, slated for Saturday, March 11.
Emmanuel Ukoh
