Mr Owolabi Bello, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Lagos West Senatorial District, has commenced his campaign with door-to-door consultations and direct engagement with residents and youths across the district.
Bello flagged the campaign at his Lagos West Senatorial District office, in Lagos, on Thursday.
He said that the consultation and youth engagement approach aimed at listening directly to the concerns, aspirations and expectations of constituents, rather than relying solely on conventional campaign rallies.
“Our campaign is about the people, and we must first listen to them before presenting our plans,” he said.
He said the door-to-door consultation would enable him to interact with residents at the grassroots and better understand issues affecting their communities.
“We are taking our message to the people and, more importantly, creating an avenue for them to tell us what they expect from their representative,” Bello said.
The candidate said youth engagement remained a major component of his campaign.
He said that young people constituted a significant part of the electorate and should be actively involved in governance and decision-making.
“The youths are not merely voters; they are stakeholders and future leaders who deserve opportunities to contribute meaningfully to governance,” he said.
Bello pledged to prioritise issues relating to employment, skills acquisition, education, entrepreneurship and access to opportunities if elected.
“We will pursue practical programmes that can empower our youths to become self-reliant and productive members of society,” he said.
He also urged residents to participate actively in the electoral process and assess candidates based on their character, competence, track record and policy proposals.
“This election should be about ideas, accountability and the capacity to deliver, not intimidation, violence or empty promises,” he said.
Bello appealed to supporters of the ADC to conduct themselves peacefully throughout the campaign and respect the rights of supporters of other political parties.
“We must disagree politically without becoming enemies; our democracy will only thrive when campaigns are conducted with civility and mutual respect,” he said.
The ADC candidate assured constituents that, if elected, he would maintain regular consultations with them and establish mechanisms for continuous feedback.
“Representation should not end after election; the people must have access to their representative and be able to demand accountability,” Bello said.
He called on traditional leaders, community leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups and other stakeholders in Lagos West to join the campaign for issue-based politics and improved representation.
“Our objective is to build a broad-based movement that places the interests and development of Lagos West above personal and partisan considerations,” he said.(NAN).
