An Abuja indigenous group, the Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA), has called on President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari, to extend their campaign visits to indigenous towns and villages within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) or risk losing Abuja natives’ votes in the forthcoming February presidential elections.
OIDA President, Pastor Danladi Jeji, made the call during the third edition of FCT’s heritage day held recently.
He stressed that the two leading presidential candidates must tell Abuja indigenes what they have in stock for them should they be voted into office in the election.
“As the nation embarks on the 2015 general elections, we call on all presidential candidates, especially of the two biggest political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to proceed from Abuja city centre to our indigenous towns like Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kuje etc to campaign vigorously for their votes.
“Unless the two top contenders, President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari step into our indigenous communities to tell what their government will do for us, we shall have no choice than to cast our votes elsewhere, thereby depriving them of the critical one-quarter of the votes (in FCT) at the election,” Jeji said.
While calling on FCT Minister Senator Bala Mohammed to reconsider the demands of OIDA and other FCT stakeholders for the restructuring of Land swap agreement to include 30 per cent ownership of project to affected communities, Jeji appealed to the National Assembly to ensure all constitutional amendments that will allow FCT natives and residents to vote for a Governor or Mayor in 2019 election are achieved.
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