The Sanwo Eko Movement in conjunction with the Arewa community in Lagos has drummed support for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his deputy in the race, Dr Obáfémi Hamzat.
Ahead of the March 2, 2019 governorship election, the Arewa Community in the state, an umbrella body of Hausa living in Lagos, backed the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and endorsed Sanwo-Olu at a rally on Wednesday at the National Stadium, Surulere.
The rally was organised by Sanwo Eko Movement in conjunction with the Arewa community.
Speaking at the occasion, the National Coordinator of SEM, Mr Funsho Elulade, enjoined all Lagosians to come out en masse and vote for a greater and better Lagos.
He explained that the Sanwo Eko Movement had been at the forefront of mobilising grassroots support for the candidature of Sanwo-Olu from the inception of the campaign to occupy Alausa office come May 2019.
Elulade also expressed his profound appreciation to all the members of SEM who took their time to attend the rally.
The Chairman of Arewa Community, Lagos State, Alhaji Dandanma Muhammadu, said the group believed in the party hence the reason they came en masse to support and endorse the APC governorship candidate in the state.
In a separate chat with The PUNCH, Muhammadu said it was natural for the Hausa community to back Sanwo-Olu, having been put forward by the APC national leader and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Muhammadu said Tinubu had the loyalty of the Arewa community, noting that they had been following him since the days of the Alliance for Democracy.
Speaking in pidgin, he explained, “We, Arewa Community in Lagos State, it is not the first time, not the second time (that we have been supporting the APC). In 2011, we supported (Babatunde) Fashola; in 2015, we supported (Akinwunmi) Ambode and now, it is Sanwo-Olu.
“It is what Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) says that we will do. We, members of the Arewa Community in Lagos State, are Asiwaju’s followers. Anywhere Asiwaju is, that is where we are. We have been following him since the days of the AD).”
As for the presidential election, Muhammadu said President Muhammadu Buhari had their support.