Nigeria general election 2011 - Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that he would not allow the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to lose in the next general elections. He disclosed this yesterday while singing a song at a PDP rally at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. Obasanjo stressed that the PDP would win both the presidential and governorship elections in the state.

"I congratulate Goodluck Jonathan because you have given Lagos State the pride it deserves. It was a good history that your predecessor won in 2007 and it is a good history that you are president of Nigeria," he said.

The former President urged Jonathan to continue the good work he was doing and assured him that Lagosians were behind him.

Speaking in the same vein, Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, urged Lagosians to vote for PDP, and promised them that the party would "give you cover."

Speaking at the event, the Acting PDP National Chairman, Muhammed Bello Haliru, told Lagosians that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government in the state was only interested in tax and generating huge internally generated revenue, and asked the voters to vote in the ruling party to avoid huge taxes.

In his speech, President Jonathan confessed that the Federal Government had not been living up to its responsibilities of rehabilitating roads in Lagos, and said that he felt bad whenever he passed the airport road.

"We are going to ensure that all Federal Roads in Lagos are renovated and we have set up committee to see to all the grey areas in Lagos. There is no politician that would joke with Lagos because the highest number of voters were registered here so I will ensure I fix the economy of Nigeria by working with Lagos government," Jonathan said.

President Goodluck added, "We must stimulate commerce and industry if we want to achieve the vision 20-2020. We will ensure that all the factories in Lagos picked up again in order to generate employment for the youths," he said.

Speaking on Jonathan's achievements, Minister of finance, Olusegun Aganga noted that his administration had invested a huge amount of money in security to guarantee safety of live and property in the state.

Taiwo Abiodun

Leadership/02/03/2011