By James Ogunnaike

THE Deputy Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Mr Adesegun Adekoya, weekend, warned Nigerians to steer clear of religion and ethnic sentiments while voting to elect a new president during the 2023 general elections.

Adekoya, who represents Ijebu-North/Ijebu-East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, urged the electorate to vote for competence, rather than party, religion or ethnicity in the coming elections.

The lawmaker, who spoke at the N500 Million Fund Raising for Community Development Projects, organised by the Ago-Iwoye Great Thinkers Trust Foundation, AIGTT, in Ago-Iwoye, Ijebu-North Local Government area of Ogun State, said religious and ethnic sentiment led the country to the current economic and security challenges that the nation is facing.

His words: “In 2023, voters should make it a priority in electing competence in the general elections.

“in the coming elections, people should not look for APC, not Muslim or Christian or whatever. The level we are now and the extent APC has taken Nigeria, people should look for someone who can fix the country’s economy.

“People should not consider religion or ethnicity in the coming election. The Yoruba people don’t care about your religion or what you believe in. My wife is a Council Chairman in APC state. I am the only PDP in Ogun State and I am not persuaded to join APC.”

In his welcome address, the AIGTT Chairman, Board of Trustees, Major General S. A. Awosanya (retd), said the ceremony was a convergence of indigenes of Ago-Iwoye both at home and in the diaspora to raise funds for the developmental projects in the city in the area of health, agriculture, education and youth empowerment.