TAN breaks 70-year old political record

…Celebrates elections of  non indigenes to National, State Assemblies

The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), has commended its efforts in breaking the over 70-year old jinx of electing non-indigenes to represent Lagos State in both the National and State Assemblies, urging every state of the federation to emulate the feat recorded in Lagos in providing a level playing field for all residents in their States.
In a release signed by the Director of Media, Barr Afam Ilounoh, TAN equally defended the reason for supporting and using People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the party platform to archive the record, arguing that the party is more open in accommodating everybody more that the All Progressive Congress (APC). The understood the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos State and keyed into it.
“The 2015 Nigeria general elections might have come and gone but the ripples generated by the polls will abide with us for quite some time. One of such ripples is the feat performed by the TAN toward the election of non-indigenes to represent the cosmopolitan Lagos State in the National and State Assemblies
“The international NGO in its characteristic manner threw in everything into canvassing support for the best candidates whether indigenes or non-indigenes during the campaigns and at the end of the day Nigerians residing in the state who constitute a major block in Lagos can now have people who will actually give them a voice and representation in the National and State Assemblies.
“It would be recalled that the last time a non-indigene was voted to represent Lagos state in any form of representative capacity was over seventy years ago when the legendary Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was elected in the state. That was during his great partnership with great Adeniran Ogunsanya that spanned their political lives.
“Moments after that election, the nation fell abysmally into a political set up where primordial and other sentiments started playing crucial roles in getting a candidates elected into office at the expense of competence and capability.
“The implication of the ugly development is that round pegs continued to find themselves in square holes while mediocracy instead of meritocracy became the order of the day with its attendant negative effect on the growth and development of the most populous nation in Africa.
“With the significant contribution of TAN towards redressing this anomaly starting with the National Assembly election in Lagos state, it is obvious that the  advocacy group has indeed played a pivotal role in deepening and expanding democracy in Nigeria and as well take shine off the dreaded monster of political discrimination which has bedeviled the nation for long.
“It is expected that all Nigerians irrespective of the state of origin will begin to participate actively in the affairs of their host communities knowing full well that there would always be a day of reckoning.
“The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria expects that every states of the federation will begin to give non indigenes an enabling environment to contribute positively to the development of their host state, towns and communities as well as getting rewarded for their contributions,” he noted.
Speaking further, Barr Afam added: “It is by so doing that peace and unity which has eluded the country because of unnecessary rivalry based on primordial sentiments of religion and ethnicity would be enthroned and sustained and Nigeria will be better for it.”
“TAN supported PDP in lagos state because among the two main political contenders PDP and APC, PDP understood the cosmopolitan nature of lagos state and equally carries everybody both indigenes and non-indigenes along as far as you pay your taxes. This is what give PDP edge as a more accommodating party in the state more than the others
“We congratulate the Nigerian residents and others who emerged victorious in the National and State Assemblies and other levels of elections in the country. It is our desire to remind them of the enormous responsibilities of making democratic dividends available to the electorates who entrusted mandate into their hands,” he noted.