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Fashola’s Main Man, Femi Hamzat Joins Lagos Governorship Race

First Bank Nigeria
-Set To Tackle Ambode At Primary Election
Race for the seat of the Governor of Lagos State for the 2019 general elections is getting hotter as a former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in the state, Hon. Obafemi Hamzat has joined the governorship race.
Hamzat, who obtained his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, is reportedly being backed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola in the party.
It will be recalled that Femi Hamzat came second during the Lagos governorship primaries of the party, which held at Onikan Stadium in 2014.
Rumours had gone round that the leadership of the party were aversed to the second term ambition of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of the state over issues bothering on his relationship with the members of the party and “anti-party activities.”
Sources revealed that the likes of Aregbesola and other senior members of the party insisted that Ambode should not be given a second term and that this was why the state’s chapter of the party adopted the direct primary options for its primaries across board.
Senior members of the party revealed that with the direct primaries it might be difficult for Governor Ambode to clinch the ticket of the party for the 2019 elections despite the perception of members of the public that the ‘Governor has turned the state around with infrastructural development in three years.’
It was gathered that forces are gathering everyday to ensure that Ambode does not go back to the Lagos State Government House in Alausa in 2019 and that Tinubu’s men are leaving no stone unturned to achieve their aims.
According to sources, “The group supporting Hamzat made it clear to the leaders of the party that they would do everything possible to remove Ambode in 2019. They accused him of abandoning the leaders of the party after he got to office in May, 2019.
“All efforts made by the leaders to make Ambode see reason fell on deaf ears. He made sure he frustrated some key party members from his cabinet. You can remember how the former Commissioner for Works in the state, Hon. Ganiu Johnson was forced to resign few years back. See how Ambode sacked former commissioner for tourism, Hon. Folly Coker as well as the former commissioner for transport, Hon. Dayo Mobereola amongst others. Apart from these, he did not give contract to key party members and he bluntly refused to finance the party despite all entreaties made to him and his government is practically a one-man show.”
An informant stated that there was no going back on the resolve of the top members of Lagos APC and other stakeholders in the party and that they have made up their minds to deny Governor Ambode second term of office as they reportedly insisted that “his cup is full and he would be shown the way out of the coveted office in 2019.”

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