NEWS UPDATE - GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE UNDER APC PARTY

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New Lagos governor’s……..As the 2015 general elections draw nearer, the battle over who succeeds Babatunde Fashola as Governor of Lagos State gets fiercer, writes LEKE BAIYEWU During the forthcoming 2015 general elections, certain states are expected to swing the election, one of which is Lagos. The state is one of the four controlled by the All Progressives Congress out of the six states in the South-West geopolitical zone. Lagos is literally the seat of the APC, Nigeria’s biggest opposition party. This is so because the opposition has been in control of the state since democracy returned in 1999. The state is also home to a national leader of the party, Sen. Bola Tinubu, who has been described as the grandmaster of the opposition and a political godfather to many in the party, especially in the South-West. Prior to the 2011 elections, the state had over 6.2 million registered voters, the highest in the country, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission. The electoral umpire is currently updating the register with its Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which may increase the figure. While the National Population Commission, after its 2006 national census exercise, put the population of Lagos at 9,113,605, the state government kicked. The government now puts the population at about 18 million, making it the most populous state in the country. Those who contested at the primary included a former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan; a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Olasupo Shasore (SAN); Hamzat and Ambode. Others were Ikuforiji; Solomon; a former aide to Tinubu, Tayo Akinde; Adekunle Disu; Tokunbo Wahab; Olanrewaju Ope; Toyin Ayinde; and a former Commissioner for Rural Affairs, Tola Kasali. If it was true that the party was considering fielding a Christian candidate, Ambode, Shasore, Ayinde and Pitan had met the criterion. Tinubu is said to be backing Ambode, while Shasore is rumoured to be Fashola’s choice. Tinubu had allegedly introduced Ambode to the state’s Local Government Area and the Local Council Development Area chairmen as his choice aspirant at a meeting earlier in the year. Similarly, the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, had openly declared his interest in Ambode on May 15, 2014, at the launch of a biography of Ambode. He said, “We say we are here to launch a book but we know why we are here. We, the elders, had met and discussed and the people have said that Ambode will be the governor. “Let no one misquote me, the others (aspirants) have a right to run. Ambode, may you lead all of them. Ambode is not Ilaje; he is from Epe and a true Lagosian.” No doubt, Tinubu wields a great influence in the APC, which gives his preferred loyalists access to public offices. However, some members of his immediate political clan in Lagos are said to be aggrieved over his choice of Fashola’s successor in 2015. Fashola, who was picked by Tinubu as the APC candidate in 2007 amid protests by other governorship aspirants, won the seat in a landslide victory at the poll. He won a re-election for another term in 2011. Indications emerged last Tuesday that the battle for the political control of Lagos in the next political dispensation had been swayed in favour of Tinubu, when his loyalists swept the stakes at the APC House of Assembly primary. Tinubu’s supporters swept the election in the 20 LGAs and 30 LCDAs in an emphatic manner. With the clean sweep recorded by the ex-governors’s supporters, his continued control of the state legislature was no longer debatable. His supporters won in Ojo, Ajeromi, Mainland, Kosofe, Epe, Eti-Osa, Ibeju, Somolu, Ifako-Ijaye, Oshodi-Isolo, Ikorodu, Shomolu, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos Island, among other councils. It was learnt that the faction opposed to Tinubu’s hegemony won the two seats in Surulere and one seat in Mushin and in Badagry. A leader of APC, who declined to be named, had said, “The struggle is largely between Ambode and Shasore. Negotiations are ongoing. Ambode has an edge, as of today, but things might change, depending on how the two sides manage the situation. “The two sides are meeting this (Tuesday) night. There might be an alliance this night. Nobody has the capacity of Tinubu in the party. The only way to defeat Tinubu is if all the aspirants present one person. Leke Pitan is a good candidate but he doesn’t have the financial capacity.” For the governorship primary, some of the aspirants – Pitan, Hamzat, Solomon, Ikuforiji, Kasali, Wahab and Shasore – had last week warmed against indirect primaries, saying it could lead to agitation, tension and litigation and might deprive the party from presenting a valid candidate for election. Ambode was said to have preferred indirect method, which was eventually adopted by the party’s leadership. Tinubu’s political hammer made more impact on Thursday when his alleged godson, Ambode emerged winner at the party’s governorship primary. The two-day Lagos State APC governorship primary ended in Lagos on Friday with Tinubu’s choice, Ambode, scoring 3,735 votes. Hamzat, another Fashola’s ally, came second with 1,201 votes, while Solomon, whose previous attempts were said to have been frustrated by powers that be, scored 272 votes to pick the third spot. Again, Ambode’s victory has been termed as a victory for Tinubu. After being announced as winner, Ambode claimed to be the only the aspirant that visited all the 20 LGAs of the state. “I won because I visited all the 20 local governments to consult with the people at the grassroots and this is the result that you are seeing,” he said. While the primary was still on at the Onikan Stadium venue, some of the aspirants had reportedly stage a walk-out in protest. The two players – Tinubu and Fashola – had stayed away from the venue. It was, however, learnt that the governor, who reportedly passed by the venue, was not happy with the conduct of the primary, which seemed to favour Ambode against Sasore. One of the aspirants was quoted as saying, “The way things are going, there may be mass defection from this party, as even the governor might leave soon. Tinubu has emasculated all of us, including Fashola, who is not even being given a say. “We planned to shun the primary in protest, after the party refused to postpone it, following our request, but we all agreed to come so that we can observe it properly in case the matter is taken to court. In any case, the dubious manner in which the state congress was carried out is already at a Federal High Court, so there is a high possibility that the result of this event will be nullified “Only Tinubu has the list of the delegates and most of us were not able to reach out to them. This is most unfortunate.” However, Tinubu, in his goodwill message to delegates at the primary, said the party provided the aspirants with a level-playing field in the contest. He urged all in the party to accept the outcome of the primary in good faith. He said in parts, “When I met with all of you some time ago, you spoke of the need to have a fair democratic process in selecting the flag bearer. Today you have that process. “However, we must be realistic. As much as I wish the party could reward you all for your intelligent and sincere efforts, it is impossible to do so. There are 12 good men seeking but one position. Only one of you can win this contest today. We believe in you as you believe in yourself that you are all qualified in your own right. “I urge us all to comport ourselves in a brotherly manner and with a democratic spirit. And to accept the result of the primary as the choice of our party that we may move forward to protect the Lagos we have jointly built and to continue the progress we jointly seek.” This electioneering period, according to analysts, is another opportunity for Tinubu to build more on his political empire. Before the primary, some of the aspirants had boasted of their victory at the exercise. Hamzat had earlier in September stated that he was the most qualified to succeed Fashola. “My experience in the running of the state government is what separates me from other governorship aspirants and makes me most qualified to succeed Governor Fashola,” he had boasted. In an exclusive interview with PUNCH last Monday, Shasore denied having a political godfather in Fashola. “I don’t have a political godfather. I don’t have a godfather who is sponsoring me. I believe that I have all round acceptability. The disadvantage of having a godfather is that you suddenly lose acceptability across the board,” he stated. On conducting primaries or reaching a consensus for a candidate, he said both were democratic. While the protests on Ambode’s candidature rage on in the APC, close watchers of Lagos politics have said the focus of the electorate will now shift to the state PDP, which had insisted that it would not present its candidate until the last minute. The governorship aspirants in the party include Babatunde Gbadamosi; a leader of the party, Deji Doherty; the candidate of the PDP in the 2011 governorship election, Dr. Ade Dosunmu; a former governorship candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, Jimi Agbaje; a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro and a former candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (now APC), Michael Dominic, among others. Others are a lawyer and former governorship aspirant, Owolabi Salis; a former Lagos Commissioner for Health, Dr. Segun Ogundimu; and a lecturer at the University of Lagos, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express writter.