A human rights organization, Human Rights Advancement Development and Advocacy Centre (HURIDAC) today Wednesday 15th February 2023 in Lagos held a town hall meeting for house of assembly candidates across five(5) local government council areas of Lagos State.
The town hall meeting was attended by house of assembly candidates from three (3) major political parties, namely the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) contesting for the house of assembly seats for Alimosho state constituency I and II, Ajeromi Ifelodun state constituency I and II, Kosofe state constituency I and II, Mushin state constituency I and II and Ikorodu state constituency I and II, community stakeholders, constituents from the constituencies, civil society organizations and the media.
The town hall meeting was designed to interfaced the house of assembly candidates with stakeholders and their constituencies on their anti corruption plans if they eventually get elected into the Lagos State house of assembly in the March 11th 2023 general elections.
The executive director of HURIDAC Mr. Ayodele Ameen who spoke through the programme officer Miss Alice Babalola, welcomed all the participants to the town hall meeting and thanked them for their presence, even as he acknowledged the sponsorship support of CISLAC and MacArthur Foundation without whom the event would not have been possible and wished the participants a fruitful deliberations.
In his opening remark, the chairman of the occasion comrade Lanre Suraj of CISNAC who was represented by comrade Nelson Ekujumi appreciated HURIDAC for the innovative and laudable action plan against corruption which the town hall meeting represents and for providing a window through which the electorate can hold their representatives accountable for their anti corruption footprints. He thanked organizers and sponsors and wished the gathering a fruitful deliberations.
The candidates present were honourable Femi Saheed the incumbent member of the Lagos state house assembly representing Kosofe state constituency II under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), honourable Owoaje Babasola aspiring under the banner of PDP for Kosofe state constituency 1, honourable Kafilat Olapeju Fasasi contesting for Kosofe state constituency I under the platform of the labour party (LP) and honourable Hassan Fatai Olaniyi aspiring for Mushin state constituency I under the the platform of the PDP, among others.
The candidates all highlighted transparency and accountability as the watchword in their anti corruption plans if elected. They all promised to make public the financial status of their constituency as representative of the people if elected so that they can be held accountable.
At the end of the programme, the candidates promised to abide by their anti corruption plans with which they should be held to account if eventually elected by the electorate.
In closing, HURIDAC promised to interface with the constituents and the candidates so that the anti corruption plans of the candidates and their party can be used as a benchmark to measure how committed they have lived up to their promise when eventually elected.
