The flag-off rally of the
campaign to Elect Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto as member, Ogun State House of
Assembly, Ifo 2 constituency took place on Saturday 15 December 2018. It
started with a symposium at the Olambe Town hall, with about 120 persons in
attendance. The symposium started with
solidarity songs where the members of the party sang enthusiastically, before
the candidate came out to give his manifestoes to an inspiring applause by the
audience.
Soweto is running on a manifesto
to go into the House of Assembly to build a movement to fight for development
for neglected communities in the constituency in the areas of road
infrastructure, electricity, public education, healthcare and jobs. He will
stand against all anti-poor policies and serve as a bold voice for workers,
youth and the masses. He will continue
to live in the constituency and he will not collect more than the salary and
allowances of a skilled civil servant.
Speaking after him was a Chief of
the Olaogun town, Chief Bamigbose, who informed the audience of the fact that
the constituency is larger than 6 local governments in the state, yet it is the
most underfunded. There are hardly any motorable roads while public schools and
health facilities are either non-existent or inadequate. He stressed the need
for a vibrant representation for the constituency, and the need for the members
of the constituency to elect Soweto with a protest vote.
The National Secretary of the
party, Comrade Chinedu Bosah, also came out to speak and expressed how
inspiring the Ifo contest was for the National Secretariat and the whole party.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of the Party, Comrade Rufus Olusesan,
lamented that Nigerians can no longer beg around to feed themselves, and
concluded that ‘enough is enough of capitalist politicians’. A member of the
Campaign for a Workers’ and Youths’ Alternative (CWA), Falilat Jimoh, came with
solidarity greetings from the CWA, drawing the similarities between the CWA and
SPN, and stressed the fact that a victory for Soweto would be an exemplary
radical alternative.
Comrade Ayo Arogundade echoed
that the alternatives of a politician on minimum wage, and living in the
community are examples that the SPN is set to lay with the contest. The
Chairlady of the Tailors association in the area, Mrs. Olaoyenikan, encouraged
the people to vote for a grassroots activist. A local elder in the area, Elder
Jegede, narrated how he was inspired by the speech of the candidate at an
earlier date at a meeting of the Community Development Council, and lamented
how youths were being used by bourgeois politicians and is happy that the
youths are now ready to take their future into their hands. A representative of
the Baale (Monarch) of Olambe town in his speech described the candidate is a
David that will definitely overcome the Goliath he is confronting. Mamakofoshi,
the women leader of the party, expressed her happiness that an activist is
contesting, and asked the people to vote out corrupt politicians.
An election fundraising was
launched at the symposium which raised in pledges and cash a total sum of
N45,000 with about N11,500 raised on the spot. The rally started immediately
after the symposium with a convoy of three cars, a bus, about five motorcycles
(okada) and a van, which were all filled up with many walking almost the entire
length of the distance covered. Inspiring responses of the people about the
need for good roads and exemplary endorsements by those we engaged and agitated
with were all the major highlights of the rally, asides the poster pasting and
the leafleting.
