The Coalition of Registered Political Parties ( CRPP) on Monday tasked candidates in Ogun State to focus on issues based campaigns and stop personal attacks.
The body also cautioned the political gladiators and candidates that such personal attacks could heat up the polity and cause violence.
Speaking at a news conference in Abeokuta, the State capital, the National Coordinator of the coalition, Hon. Olaposi Oginni, said it is high time for political actors in the State to focus their campaigns on developmental programmes that would better the lot of the state.
Oginni said the candidates’ Campaigns so far are attacks on ancestry, family backgrounds and indigeneity of their opponents, describing it as
“highly disappointed” and therefore condemned it in totality.
He said, “The issue where political party will come to campaign and they have nothing to show to our state people about their manifestos rather than talking about the ancestry or indigeneity of a candidate is condemnable. Politics is not a child’s play. It is about service to the people.”
“As a matter of fact, we are highly disappointed that most of the political gladiators that we have in the state today, they did not learn from history of the past and especially what happened in pre-election.;The personal attack on family issues and historical background of different political party gladiators and candidates is unacceptable. We condemn in totality that our campaign must be issue-based,” he stated.
Oginni urged the candidates to present to the voters clear answers on how candidates intend to improve the lives of residents rather than being subjected to arguments over their genealogy or places of origin.
Olaposi urged governorship candidates to explain their plans for education, economic development, poverty reduction, youth empowerment and industrialisation.
He added, “What the Ogun State electorate is expecting from contestants is to tell us what they have in stock for Ogun State people. We want candidates to come on board to the campaign terrain to tell us what they want to do for our people in terms of education, in terms of economic recovery and looking at the frontal position of Ogun State to Lagos State. How Ogun State will be the most viable state in Nigeria.”
He added: “Tell us what you have done in the past. Tell us what you are going to do. Convince the electorate what you are ready to offer us in Ogun State.”
On backgrounds of candidates, he said “It is only your parents that can tell you where and what you are. It is only for the parent of individual that can say whether I’m the father or I’m the mother so, we are not interested. So, where you come from, it is the responsibility of your parents and that is not for us at the political space to debate. What we are interested in is what you want to offer and the Ogun State electorate, they will decide.”
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