• No aspirant, even the incumbent, Ambode, yet to declare interest
• Mute still the word for Tinubu
•As Aregbesola, Eludoyin, Fouad Oki, Oshinowo, Others Gang Up To Wrest Control
of Lagos from Tinubu
+ Political atmosphere in Lagos APC still Cloudy
The political climate in Lagos is
slowly heating up ahead of the primaries of the major political parties in the
State – APC & PDP which should commence later this month.
Akinwunmi Ambode the incumbent
Governor of the State has not declared his intention to run for a second term
but there are clear indications that his supporters and a vast array of
Lagosians want him to run in order to complete the adjudged sterling performance
of his first term. Curiously, there are still no other aspirants
that have shown clear interest in the coveted office.
There are however rumours that the
Political Godfather in Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may be reluctant
to endorse his political godson for the second term just like he did in
Babatunde Fashola’s second term bid in 2010. He is reported to being
pressurized by a few of his long-term associates.
According to Fouad Oki, who purports
to lead a faction of APC in Lagos, the head of this group is Rauf Aregbesola
the Governor of the State of Osun; the Speaker of the Lagos State House of
Assembly Mudashiru Obasa who is reported to be eyeing the Lagos Governorship
seat in 2023 and Bayo Oshinowo the billionaire Chairman of the Lagos House of
Assembly committee on lands who is currently eyeing the Lagos East Senatorial
seat in 2019. A new entrant into the group is Prince Dipo Eludoyin, another
billionaire Ife Prince and businessman with Real Estate interest all over Lagos
and who is reported to have strong links to the Abuja group opposed to
Asiwaju’s continuous overall control of Lagos politics. There seems to be other
disgruntled fringe groups and players who are concerned with the Governor’s
growing popularity, the whispers of greater political future and possible
inheritance of Asiwaju’s political empire. There is of course Fouad Oki’s
splinter group and other shadowy characters both within and outside the party.
There are even some rabid loyalist who are reported to be pushing Asiwaju to
draft his wife or son into the race over Ambode. All these forces appear to be
converging at rapid speed to thwart the Governor’s quest for a second term.
A lot of Lagosians are however
beginning to question whether unarguably one of the greatest Nigerian political
tacticians and leadership head-hunters has lost his touch and intuition. They
wonder how in this time of strife and uncertainty, the Jagaban of Borgu would
even considering tinkering with a winning hand at the behest of Aregbesola,
Eludoyin and their cohorts. Politics is a weird game and some have attributed
Asiwaju’s vacillation on his perpetual quest to retain power, old age, fear or
even envy of a political son who appears to be outperforming his predecessors.
Some say it might be based on Asiwaju’s desire to run for the presidency in
2023 and Ambode’s possible threat to that desire.
Nobody can say for certain what goes
on in a politician’s mind but it appears a battle royale is brewing and
Jagaban’s core associates appear bent on pushing him over that proverbial
precipe. Asiwaju has already allowed his estranged political sons turned rivals
to set up beacheads in Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun with their support for Adeoti
of the ADP. The ultimate aim it appears is to wrest his “prize possession” –
Lagos – from his grasp with the attendant complete political and economic
demystification of the Jagaban of Borgu. Those who advocate for Asiwaju’s
retirement say 20 years at the helm of power is enough and it is time for him
to give way to younger turks who can carry his legacy. They say if he does not
retire voluntarily they will force him into compulsory retirement. They also
boast that his core loyalists have already been infiltrated and have
clandestinely begun preparations for their assault on Lagos.
On the other hand, there have been
speculations that the politicians who feel Ambode’s popularity must be checked
are wooing Femi Otedola the billionaire oil magnate and chairman of Forte Oil,
who is reported to have stashed away hundreds of billions to finance his
ambition in 2023.
According to those rooting for
Otedola, who is a Christian from Epe (the same local government as the Ambode)
but a complete political novice, he will be controllable by them and they can
continue to perpetrate their political control in Lagos.
There are also the
serial candidates like Obafemi Hamzat, Supo Sasore and a new name recently
thrown up, Jide Sanwoolu, who are said to be waiting in the wings to reap
should Asiwaju be swayed in the run up to 2019 election or is 2023 their actual
target.
There is also the twist of Senator
Musliu Obanikoro who is reported to be eyeing the Lagos West senatorial seat to
serve as a platform for his governorship push in 2023 which now appears to be
shaping up as a battleground year.
The political season in Lagos promises
to be very interesting and many are waiting to see what moves Governor Ambode
will make if it becomes apparent that he will be denied a return ticket by his
Party.
Considering that there are 68 political parties lined up ahead of 2019
that won’t mind adopting a popular governor that is adjudged to have performed
creditably well, a platform to run should not be an issue should push comes to
shove.
By this time in 2010 Babatunde Fashola
was already fraternizing with the Labour Party and perfecting plans to run on
that party’s ticket until Asiwaju beat a last-minute retreat and endorsed him
for another term under the then ACN. Apparently, that bruising experience took
its toll on the Mentor-Mentee relationship and despite the photo-ops it has
never been the same since then.
Is the same experience going to play
out again? Does lightning strike twice? Perhaps not, Ambode has proven a bit
more docile and compliant than Babatunde Fashola and may have placed his second
term fate squarely on the benevolence of the Jagaban of Borgu, the support of
the Vice-President Professor Yemi Osibajo and Oba Rilwan Akiolu the Oba of
Lagos amongst others.
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