Group seeks Sanwo-Olu’s intervention on LASCOFED leadership tussle

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been invited to intervene in the leadership crisis rocking the Lagos State Cooperative Federation (LASCOFED), to effectively determine the real president-elect of the cooperative in a recently-concluded election.

A group under the Lagos State Cooperative Good Governance Initiative alleged that Mrs.Temitope Sikaiye, the first female to have won the votes in a fair and square election has been denied to be sworn-in, as the new president-elect because she is a female.

They alleged that the candidate, who lost in the first ballot, was bent on having the election manipulated in his favour with the aid of Odueyingbo, and has been parading and circulating fake election results, and making unsubstantiated claims of a purported victory.
 
The group therefore called on Governor Sanwo-Olu to wade into the matter and ensure this grave travesty of justice does not stand, and in an open SOS, appealed and sought the intervention of all human rights activists, gender-based violence defenders, political leaders, and cooperatives of repute in Lagos State.

MEANWHILE, LASCOFED, in a statement to The Guardian on Monday, said the newly-elected President LASCOFED, Oladipo Shobule, promised to empower youths in the states by encouraging them to imbibe the culture of savings and to manage their financial life effectively.
 
The statement signed by the Executive Secretary, Mrs Ebun Akin-Falaiye, said Shobule made the pledge shortly after his election, and that as the president, will oversee the activities of the body for a period of four years.
 
In his acceptance speech, Shobule was quoted: “We seek to target the youth, encouraging them to imbibe the culture of saving to manage their financial life effectively.”
 
He said it was also part of his vision to incorporate health cooperative, cooperative pharmaceuticals, and develop an e-library that would be accessible by all.
 
He added that plans were underway to develop a cooperative resort to benefit our members because their welfare is priority.

He lauded his predecessor, Oriyomi Ayeola, for the high standards bequeathed to the new administration and promised to uphold and build on it.