….GROUP URGE MUSLIMS TO PARTICIPATE MORE IN ELECTIONEERING PROCESS
The people across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State especially muslims have been charged to participate more in electioneering process, which is their civic responsibility.
The call was made in Akure at the inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ambassador For Nigeria’s Greatness (BANG) at the State and local levels.
According to Chief Jamiu Afolabi Ekungba, the National Coordinator of BANG, BAT Ambassadors is a political support group which has been charged to coordinate as election is coming in less than 50 days.
“People have been working and canvassing but now, we shouldn’t be thinking that of election itself, we should think of our roles and responsibilities, what are the lines you must not cross and what are the things you can do to help our candidate, that’s why we called this meeting.
“The day of election is also very important and we need to educate these people of their responsibilities and what they should expect at the polling unit so that the election will go very smoothly, plain and fairly”.
“The group here today are those people we gathered from our support group that are special, the truth of the matter that people don’t take in mind is that a lot of Muslims don’t vote, though is right because God does everything but it is the same God that says it in the Holy Quran that we should work harder and turn back to Allah.
“The Muslims have this very bad attitude to electioneering, that’s why we are putting them together to talk to them religiously to let them know that participating in election is also religious, it’s also a manner we have taken from God. There are group of Muslims that believe that democracy is haram, they are the people we are talking to”.
“In what is called Fatua, the religious opinion of learned people all over the world, all of the them had come to say whatever the political system in your environment, we Muslims should partake in it, so that we can therefore be part of governance, we have gathered these people here today to talk to them that they have a lot jobs to do, we want Muslims to partake in the electioneering process as ordained by the religion”.
Mr Surajudeen Abdulazeez Folayemi, the Ondo State Coordinator for BAT Ambassadors, noted that election is almost here and we have always experience a recurring decimal, the first part of the decimal is that it’s only the politicians that always come out to vote which has always affected the voting turn out.
His words “In Ondo State, we have over 1.5 million registered voters, election that have happened in the last dispensation, we have always recorded 600 or 700 which means that almost a million people is not coming out to vote, this BAT Ambassadors (group) is out to go and hunt for those who are not coming out to vote, those who have lost hope in governance, those who felt that the government is just using them to butter their bread, we want to bring out and give them a renewed hope, that with their participation, we will get it right, that is the essence of the BAT ambassadors”.
“We have a lot of Muslims here today because most of the people that have lost hope in government, in democracy are Muslims, especially in Ondo State. They are not involved in governance, the population of Muslims in the present government or even the past government has not been up to 2% or 3%.
“We want to tell them that there’s hope, with their participation, we can get it right. We equally have programs to reach out to those who are not equally Muslims in the nearest future”.
Dr Abass Mimiko, A leader in BAT Ambassadors, opined that the group is a non- political organization or association of like minds who believe that it’s actually the turn of the South West Nigeria to produce the next President and who think that the “Jagaban of Africa”, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is the right man for the job.
“At this moment, if we think of equity, fairness and justice, we think it is the turn of South West and we believe he’s the candidate we have that is eminently qualified among all the contestants , he is outstanding, he will be the one that will take Nigeria out of this lock jam, he can think out of the box, he is a bold man, he is an intelligent man, he is an economic expert, he is a development expert, that’s the kind of leadership Nigeria needs at this very time if we are going to move forward”.
“The duty of the BAT ambassador is to spend our own money, energy and resources to canvas vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the entire South West of Nigeria because we think he’s the best man for the job and we are bold enough to say it that ww have accessed all the candidates and we believe that he has what it takes, the qualit, the experience, the international recognition and what he needs to rule the largest black nation on earth”.
“It is our destiny to rule the black world and you bring the black race out of poverty of ideas, poverty of materials and we think that a man who is exposed, courageous, brilliant, a performer will be in the best position, in person of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we will be canvassing votes from every citizens of Ondo State to come out an mass, either the Muslim, the Christians, non aligned religious people to come and vote for this game changer so that Nigeria can breathe a sigh of relief from this difficult situation”, he said.
Addressing the Muslim group on “Participation in Electioneering Process, Our Civic Responsibility”, the State Training officer of INEC, Mr Olawale Olaleye stated that election is a democratic procedure through which one or more persons are chosen to hold an official position.
Speaking through his assistant, Mr Timileyin Ogunsina, Olaleye stressed that every citizens of Nigeria has the right to vote and be voted for, has the right to remove someone from an official position if he isn’t doing well, has the right to attend political rallies and campaigns to know their plans and agenda, has the right to information on election.
While urging Nigerians to make use of their civic rights, he noted that every citizens has the responsibility to keep their permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) safe, has the responsibility to enlighten others about the benefits of participating in electioneering process.
