‘If You Won’t Vote For Us, Stay At Home’ -Outrage As Former NURTW Chairman, MC Oluomo Threatens Ahead Of Guber Election
The chairman of the Lagos State Parks Management Committee, MC Oluomo, has sparked outrage online after a video of him issuing a stern warning to residents of Lagos state ahead of this Saturday’s governorship and house of assembly elections surfaced online.
The governorship and state house of assembly elections are just a day away, however there have been reports of violence in various parts of the country.
Some candidates of other parties have complained about either threatened or physically attacked for their choice of candidate.
In one of the viral videos, Musiliu Akinsanya better known as MC Oluomo, who is a known supporter of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is seen giving his people instructions on their mode of operation on Saturday, 18th of March.
In the video, MC Oluomo is seen warning voters who intend to vote other parties not to do so.
He also told APC supporters that if they notice they are losing in polling units, they know what to do. According to him, if they notice they are losing, they know what to do.
He insisted that only Yorubas would vote first and went on to threaten those planning to vote for a different party other than his preferred candidate, Sanwo-Olu to, for their own good, stay at home on the election day.
“We have begged them. If they don’t want to vote for us, it is not a fight. Tell them, mama Chukwudi, if you don’t want to vote for us, sit down at home. Sit down at home,”
he said in part.
Reacting to the video, Dr. Ify Aniebo Rhodes-Vivour, wife of the Lagos State gubernatorial candidate of the Labor Party fumed at the fact that Oluomo always issues threats to voters in the state and goes scot-free.
Ify Rhodes-Vivour, whose husband is contesting for the governorship position in Lagos state under the labour party, called on the Lagos State governor to call “his thugs” to order.
Ify further noted that this isn’t the first time MC Oluomo issues threat to people. Lashing out at Governor Sanwo-Olu, the scientist asked him to call the area boys popularly known as thugs or Agbero to order.
She claimed that MC Oluomo can confidentially threaten voters because he is “state backed.”
Tagging the incumbent Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, Ify asked him to do his job.
She shared a video of Oluomo threatening voters and wrote:
“This man can confidently threaten voters because he is state backed. This isn’t the first video of him threatening voters but somehow, he still has not been arrested. @jidesanwoolu call your thugs to order. This is a democracy not a dictatorship. @BenHundeyin do your job!”
This man can confidently threaten voters because he is state backed. This isn’t the first video of him threatening voters but somehow, he still has not been arrested. @jidesanwoolu call your thugs to order. This is a democracy not a dictatorship.@BenHundeyin do your job! https://t.co/MtNn9SJplj
— Dr. Ify Aniebo RV (@IfyAniebo) March 16, 2023
Meanwhile, other Nigerians have taken to Twitter to express anger over MC Oluomo’s comments. Below are some of such tweets:
@itstimenaija: “Nigerian constitution says freedom to vote and be voted for, but APC and MC Oluomo are saying they are above the law and we don’t have that freedom in Lagos State that It’s either you vote for them or you don’t vote at all. Me I say MTCHEWWW It’s LP top to bottom.#IREV#GRV4Lagos”
@erafael2015: “God will punish this M.C Oluomo for coming out boldly for the second time to loudly say such a thing again. He is not the only one resident in Lagos as a Nigeria citizen who has right to vote. And he has no authority to decide who vote who in the election.”
@chisannicharles: “He never saw it coming. Threatened the Igbos is off target. A lot of Yorubas are voting LP. I guess he didn’t know it.”
@NNwaebiem: “The Igbos are being disrespected and provoked unnecessarily! The security apparatus will be held responsible should anything happen to the Igbos in Lagos. The foot prints are all over the state!”
@idolax: “Is this guy above the law or probably he’s been aided and abetted by the @PoliceNG @PoliceNG_CRU to continue to threaten citizens against their civic right.”
This comes after Nollywood actor and politician, Olumide Oworu, revealed that he and his team members were attacked while campaigning in Surulere.
The actor, a Labour Party candidate who is contesting against his senior colleague in the entertainment industry and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Desmond Elliot, in the Lagos state house of assembly, Surulere constituency 1 election, said the attack occurred on Tuesday, March 14.
He said one of his team members was injured in the attack. He however reiterated that the attack would not deter them from continuing their campaign.