Amidst recent incidences of violence in Ogun State, including the gun attack on APC supporters last Saturday in Odogbolu town, the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), has declared that his ambition is not worth the blood of anyone in Ogun State.
In a press statement issued in Abeokuta on Monday and signed by his spokesperson, Rt. Honorable Hazzan, the APC candidate maintained that he is in the race for the governorship “to win and to serve, and will not want anyone to be killed or maimed for supporting him and his party”.
The statement quoted Abiodun as saying: “I have left the comfort of my highly successful local and international businesses to serve my dear Ogun people. I am confident of my local and global goodwill, connections and networks, that can be put at the service of Ogun workers and people, indigenes and residents. I don’t want my people to be killed, injured or maimed, I don’t want to govern over families that have lost breadwinners or are physically challenged as a result of political violence”.
Quoting the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) 1948, Abiodun said “the will of the people shall be the basis of government, and this will shall be expressed through a democratic election that is free, fair and credible. I therefore call on candidates of all political parties to play by the rules. In the first place, we are all brothers and sisters. Violence is not the way to go.”
“Our campaign has been issues-based and non-violent. That was the assurance we gave from the onset, that is the pledge we will keep to despite the unwarranted smear campaign from certain quarters, violent attacks, intimidation of our supporters and distractive and diversionary court-shopping by certain opponents who are extremely pained by our growing acceptance by Ogun people”.
Concluding, the statement urged members of the public to safeguard their permanent voters cards (PVC): “keep your PVC to use, as your conscience desire a better Ogun State under a governor who will listen and who will be friendly to workers, farmers, students and all segments of the society. Those who have not collected their PVC should do so and timely too. Those who want to buy your PVC are simply telling you that they don’t trust you to vote for them. They want to debar your rights to vote. Please don’t sell your rights”.