The PDP candidate said this while addressing the Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter as seen in a video posted on his Instagram page on Monday.
Adediran, who said the meeting was organised to discuss their plans for the future of Lagos State, particularly regarding protecting religious freedom, lauded the religious body for their interest in the elections and urged CAN to “use their influence to push for progressive leadership” in the state.
Adediran while addressing the CAN executives said Lagosians had been robbed of their choice to select a governor for themselves adding that both himself, Banky W, the Church and all Lagosians had ceded the selection process to the hands of a few.
He said, “This is the season that they come to tell us lies they told us four years ago. There is nothing I want to tell you that you’ve not heard before, but the difference is that I came to meet you, not calling you to meet us somewhere, that is one of the many differences you see between us and them
“We’re not here to campaign but we’re here to look ourselves in the face and tell ourselves the truth, that the problem we have in Nigeria today including Lagos, we are all culpable including the body of Christ. All of us including Banky and I.
“I will use the word ‘all of us’ because we have never been elected before neither have we been appointed before, so we are what you can call a breath of fresh air. So it is all of us.
“Over the years, the Church has not been very effective in governance and election because it has been termed dirty. We will sit on the fence and say we are nowhere and we are everywhere. This has made us leave our elections in the hands of those that follow one man and they will then determine those that will govern us and by extension they will bring in somebody that has no fear of God.
“Look at what happened at the Lekki toll-gate and somebody will see that and and say ‘no nothing happened’ without the fear of God. Even if it was only one soul that was lost, the least you can do is say let me apologise to my people.
“We have ceded it to those that at the snap of a finger or a supposed godfather they will determine and give us somebody that will govern our state and decide for us. We don’t get the chance to interrogate those who will govern us to see what they will bring to the table and the choices they will make for us.
“We have ceded that selection choice and at the end of the day we have a government that will give approval to a private company in a joint venture with the same government to build on one of the six canals that is supposed to take water to the creek, they built on it and blocked it entirely. That is what our leaving or ceding that power has cost us.
“We have not been able to give that power to those at the grassroots to make their choice to select a governor that will address all that is happening in Lagos, from area boys harassment to out of school children and they will sit back and not say anything about the issues.”
The PUNCH earlier reported that the PDP governorship candidate said the 2023 election in the state would be unlike any other election, adding that it would break “past stereotypes.”
He said, “I am reassured that this election cycle will defy all the stereotypes that have defined elections in the past and we will finally be ushered into an era of peace and economic prosperity for Lagosians.”
