Foremost Nigerian community journalist and publisher of frontline community newspaper, Oriwu Sun, Alh Monzor Olowosago, has charged all aspirants for the position of Lagos state house of assembly seat from Ikorodu Constituency 1 to come together and work as a team for the emergence of one of them as the right candidate for the much-coveted Ikorodu Constituency 1 seat at the Lagos Assembly.
Olowosago gave this charge, while delivering his speech as the Guest Speaker at the Special convergence of Ikorodu youths and stakeholders at a programme tagged, LAHA Ikorodu Constituency 1, Let’s Talk, organized by The Factor Ltd, publishers of the Factor News Magazine.
He added that, rather than fighting among themselves for the seat; they should team up and forge common grounds for the best candidate among them to emerge at the party primaries later in the year.
The veteran community media practitioner also denied claims in some quarters that he was using his community newsreel to blackmail people, for monetary gain and personal benefits, stressing that, having been born into a wealthy family and going by his enviable personal achievements, there was no amount of money any politician could give him to make him compromise his professional integrity.
Olowosago stated this in reaction to rumours making the rounds that his recent publication on Hon Toyin Gafar Bolowotan, an APC house of assembly aspirant was done in bad faith, to promote the aspirant above the incumbent, Hon SOB Agunbiade.
In his words, ‘I never said SOB should not run for fourth term in office, whatever I expressed in the publication was simply my personal opinion. That is why I called the column, frankly speaking. I am the one speaking there, based on my personal views on issues’.
He added that, he has settled whatever differences that may be between himself and SOB Agunbaide, through the intervention of his younger brother who is a mutual friend of the Majority Leader. However, he berated a situation where an unnamed magazine was published to malign his image, promising to address the matter in due course.
On Bolowotan, Olowosago added, ‘And, Bolowotan I don’t know him from Adam. I have never met him. He only came to my office and I advised him to go and advertise in Oriwu Sun, the same way I will do to any other aspirant. So, how can someone now say that I was paid by Bolowotan to destroy SOB’s character so that he won’t go for fourth term’.
Earlier, host of the event, Japhet Odesanya stated that the forum, was created to afford aspirants for political offices in Ikorodu, particularly aspirants into the Ikorodu constituency 1 seat a platform for mutual interaction and networking opportunity.
He added that, he desired a situation where the aspirants will shelve their personal ambitions and parochial interests to foster an atmosphere for possible emergence of a consensus candidate for the assembly seat come 2019, in the interest of Ikorodu as a whole.
Meanwhile, chairman of the parley, Dr Bolaji Harrison charged participants at the event to get involved in the on-going ward, local government and state congresses of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to enable them influence the emergence of credible candidates for the 2019 general elections.
