I cannot ask my people to vote for you - Awujale tells GEJ

While receiving President Jonathan in his palace in Ijebu-Ode yesterday March 12th, the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona was quoted to have told the President that he cannot ask his subjects to vote for him.

"In Ijebu here, it is not possible for any Oba, not even in Yorubaland, to go out and say vote for this, vote for that, that person is looking for trouble.The only thing the Oba can do is to give them the opportunity to present their programme so that people can make up their minds on what to do. I think this is a very sound democratic principle and that is what I have decided to do, to give you the opportunity of meeting with the people.
One, they see you as a person, how beautiful you are, whether to engage with you or not, to listen to you and see if there are areas where we can meet, as a result, everybody congregating here, they belong to different groups, they are PDP members, APC members, APGA members. They belong to various interests, and when they come, they get to the gate, they shed their toga. PDP will remove their PDP, APC will remove their own, APGA will remove their own, they are going to the palace, to meet their ruler, their paramount ruler, to receive that important august visitor who is coming to their lands and give him all honour that is entitle to him.

“In all our churches, after prayer, they will pray for you, pray for the Governor, pray for me and all their leaders both in the mosque and churches as it is so required both in the bible and also in the Qur’an, therefore, I thank you Your Excellency for having this opportunity to address our people to listen to you, to hear your programme, what you have in stock for them and we shall all then pray to God for guidance, because the Muslims would say ‘guide us to the right path’, and God will show us the way because He is the only one that can show the way to people. Therefore, I thank you, Your Excellency most sincerely for making this trip. God knows the best, He is the ruler of the Universe. He knows everything and He can do everything, everything is possible in the presence of God, that is why I occasionally go to church to put up a songs.

“Each time I have cause, occasionally to talk to our people, I have always told them, in the churches and mosques that when you’re going to vote, make sure, you back your sons and daughter who will give something back to you, not the ‘Ojelus’, those who will be honest with you, who knows the way of God, those are the people you should vote for, not those who will give you two three spoons and mortgage your future, it is not right. I am sure over the years, there has been improvement but this election is full of tension, I don’t know how it is so, why has elections never been like this, about 55 years, I have never seen any election that is full of tension and the one we are having now, my prayer if God should guide us and make sure that there’s peace, harmony and tranquility in the country.” - the Awujale is quoted to have said by Sahara Reporters