Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appealed to the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to bring religion into the management of the affairs of the state.
The PDP chieftain who spoke on Arise TV on Thursday, was reacting to the rejection of 17 commissioners-nominee out of 39 sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for confirmation.
He said, “It shows this is a broken system in a political organisation, although APC is not my party but I’m a Lagosian so I’m interested.
The APC controls the Assembly, the executive governor is also a member of the party. There are older members who are the fathers of the party.
“You have the executive members of the party before you start forwarding nominations for commissioners, you would have sat down at a meeting, the state Assembly members, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the governor and the deputy, the elders to nominate people from all the various corners of the state, so, you don’t disgrace yourselves by saying that you are rejecting 17 commissioners-nominee
Who is the leader of the party in Lagos? It is shambolic. “I also learned that a group, led by a professor, protested the non-inclusion of Muslims in the list of nominees.
“I want to appeal to them in the name of God that we serve, “Don’t bring religion into the affairs of the management of our state. It has never happened, because in Lagos State, there is hardly any family that wouldn’t have Christians, Muslims and traditional members.
“Why are you bringing religion into the affairs of our management? When you’re in public office your religion is personal to you. Who is the father of Ishmael who is a Muslim and Isaac who is a Christian? Is it not Abraham?
“Don’t we serve the same God? “Religion destroys the fiber of any society. Please don’t drag us into religion. I am a bonafide Lagosian from Lagos Island. Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, has served with Muslim and Christian governors before.
“Don’t let anybody hoodwink you in a direction that can derail. What are the doctrines in the religions? Love your neighbour as yourself irrespective of who that neighbour is.
“Public service is for you to go out there and utilize the resources of the land to the benefit of the people. Rejecting 17 out of 39 nominees is very disgraceful. This is the same political party that goes around boasting that it is in total control. It is a call for concern by the citizens of Lagos,” Atona Oodua said.
