His Royal Majesty Oba Prof Adeyemi Obalanlege, (Ekun II) Olota of Ota, Awori kingdom, has decried the alleged marginalisation of Awori people in Lagos State by the ruling All Progressives Congress-led government.
The monarch said Awori people had been neglected by the APC government in the sharing of political positions while non-indigenes were placed far above them.
Oba Obalanlege threatened to mobilise the Awori to vote against the APC candidates if the alleged marginalisation was not addressed.
The monarch, who said the Awori in Lagos State, as well as those in Ogun State, were his subjects, stated that the leadership of the ruling party in Lagos State must give the neglected indigenes a strong commitment to addressing the issue without delay.
He said, “Historically, when you look at the axis of the South-West, I mean from Ota to Igbesa, Agbara and Lagos, the area belongs to the Awori; there is no contest about that. But the problem now is that the Awori are being marginalised politically. When you look at it, we used to have the deputy governorship position and a representative in the Senate. But looking at those contesting within the APC in Lagos in the coming elections, none of them is Awori. Not minding that Awori people are in Ogun State, we own Lagos State. My parents sold the land where Ray Power is built in Lagos.
“Despite our stake in Lagos, we are being marginalised. But if nothing is done, or there is no major promise from the APC to address this, I will call on all Awori not to vote for the major party and I want the leadership of the party to see the power of Awori.
“If there is no major statement concerning what the APC has for Awori people, we will not vote for the party; and let us wait and see the consequences of that.
“You cannot come to a people’s ancestral land and still deny them of everything including political power. How do they expect Awori people to feel? Most of these people came from outside Lagos. You cannot come from a faraway place and marginalise us and expect us not to react. I want the APC to look into that.”
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