Politics
By Usman Aliyu
Ilorin, April 25, 2018 (NAN) Mr Maruf Olanrewaju, the President of the Odua Progressive Care Initiative (OPCI), has advised politicians and the electorate in Nigeria to play politics by the rules ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Olanrewaju, who gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin on Wednesday, also cautioned that elections should not be seen as a do-or-die affair.
According to him, the beauty of democracy globally is the opportunity it provides the electorate to choose their representatives.
“We should all learn to play the game of politics according to the rules. Let there be no crisis because a particular candidate lost an election.
“ It is not good for us; it is not good for the image of the country,” Olanrewaju said.
He also appealed to Nigerians not to undermine the electoral process in the name of supporting a particular candidate or party.
The OPCI leader said that he was on his way to Accra to inaugurate a branch of the organisation on Friday.
He said that the socio-cultural organisation, which had been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), was formed to promote the unity and cultural heritage of the Yoruba as well as to seek better welfare for the people.
Olanrewaju said that the organisation conceived the idea of inaugurating a branch in Ghana following the demands of the Yoruba residing in that country.
He also announced a plan to further take the campaign of the organisation to Europe and America.
“We have Yoruba people in the Diaspora, especially in West African countries like Benin Republic, Cote d’voire, Togo and Ghana.
“ So we want them to know about the importance of the organisation and our mission for the Yoruba clan,’’ he said.
According to Olanrewaju, the organisation will later inaugurate branches in Abidjan and Lome, the capitals of Cote d’voire and Togo respectively. (NAN)
AUO/AOS/OJO
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(Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Mufutau Ojo)