The National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),? Sen. Bola Tinubu, has criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for wanting to benefit from the 37 Local Council Development Areas(LCDAs) it opposed their creation.
Tinubu spoke while addressing an ACN rally in Ikorodu on Friday ahead of the local government elections in Lagos, scheduled for Oct. 22.
The polls are billed to hold in the 20 Local Government Areas of the state and the controversial 37 LCDAs created by the Tinubu administration in 2003.
Tinubu said that it was morally wrong for the PDP to want to participate in the 37 LCDAs it fought against.
“When the PDP went to court against the LCDAs, their intention was to stop us. Now, the same party (PDP) wants to benefit from those councils .
“We knew then that the new councils would further bring governance nearer to the people of Lagos. Today, we have been justified,’’ Tinubu said, assuring his party members of a landslide victory in the polls.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), urged the electorate to vote for the ACN for continued development in the councils.
He said that there was a need for the party members to embark on house-to-house campaign to ensure that the ACN had an overwhelming victory in the elections.
The Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Taofik Gani,? when contacted, said that “no blackmail will stop the party’s participation in the polls.’’
?`We had boycotted elections in the past due to the fact that elections were held in the LCDAs which were yet to be recognised by the constitution.
?`”We are never against Lagos State having additional councils. Our concern is that it should be legitimate and must pass through due process by an enactment of the National Assembly,’’ he told newsmen.
Gani said that the PDP’s resolve to field candidates in the councils followed demands by the people of Lagos who were seeking an alternative platform for local government governance.
“There is no gainsaying that Lagos State councils have performed below expectations. Our platform and candidates will provide the desired leadership that would in turn galvanise the development of Lagos State,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 28 political parties are participating in the Lagos Council polls.(NAN)