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Why Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s May Not Get Second Term Ticket From APC

First Bank Nigeria
… His Many Sins
To many city dwellers, the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has done well to be given automatic second term ticket by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) going by “his monumental infrastructural development and massive projects across the state within three years of serving as Governor.”
They based their argument on the fact that the party cannot afford to toy with the idea of not allowing someone like Ambode to serve for a second term.
But there are some undoubtable signs all over town that the second term ticket might not be as easy as expected for the Governor as he has reportedly stepped on many toes within and outside the party.
This is said to be playing out in the reported failure of the party not to do what millions of the residents of the state had been looking forward to in the countdown to the elections, which is announcing automatic ticket for the Governor.
We were reliably informed that the leaders of the party are working on the possibility of denying Governor Akinwunmi Ambode second term of office despite the belief in many quarters in the state that he has performed creditably well since he got to the coveted office in 2015.
Reliable sources in the party informed us that some chieftains of the party have been speaking to the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow another person contest as the Governorship candidate of the APC in 2019 on the pretext that a lot of people are on the queue to rule the acclaimed centre of excellence.
Interestingly, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode 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.
“Governor Ambode’s 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 being pressurized by a few of his long-term associates,” said a source.
Sources revealed that leaders of the APC pointedly informed Asiwaju Tinubu that there was no way they could support Ambode, who they accused of making things difficult for party members, most of whom worked for his emergence as the party’s candidate in 2014 and subsequent election in 2015.
They reasoned that if Governor Ambode could do what they alleged him to have done in his first term in office, then the worse would happen of he goes back to the seat for a second term.
According to Hon. Fouad Oki, who purports to lead a faction of APC in Lagos, the head of those, who want Ambode out of office in 2019 is Rauf Aregbesola, the Governor of the State of Osun; the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, who is reported to be eyeing the Lagos Governorship seat in 2023 and Hon. 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.
Sources revealed that a new entrant into the group is Dipo Eludoyin, another billionaire Ife, Osun State-born 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.
Reports indicated that there are other disgruntled fringe groups and players who are concerned that the Governor has not done well to deserve a second term of office.
Reference was made to the stakeholders meeting of the APC called by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Tuesday 14 August, 2018 at the party’s secretariat in ACME, Ikeja, where he said that Ambode was only building on the foundation laid by his predecessors and that his successor would take over from where he stops since Lagos is bouyant enough.
Party members, who have spoken about the matter, chronicled Governor Ambode’s sins to be disregard for party members, frustration of public office holders and political leaders, especially commissioners, Special Advisers, Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello and party member across the state.
Reference was made to the way the likes of the former Commissioner for Tourism, Folly Coker was sacked by Governor Ambode, how former Works and Infrastructure Commissioner, Hon. Ganiu Johnson was allegedly frustrated into resigning his appointment and how former commissioner for Transport, Mr. Dayo Mobereola was sacked by Governor Ambode.
“We cannot support Ambode for second term. It is even good that we will go for direct primaries with party members choosing the candidates.
‘This man, Ambode has stepped on many toes. Look at the way he redeployed some Permanent Secretaries in his early days in office. Somebody like Hakeem Muri Okunola a.k.a HMO was moved from Lands Bureau as Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Youths and Social Development for no reason.
“Ambode behaves as if he is not responsible to anybody and he handles virtually all the contracts in the state directly.
“All files must pass through him,  no wonder someone like Engineer Ganiu Johnson resigned as Works Commissioner since he was not being allowed to do his job by the Governor.
“How do you explain a situation, where the SSG, Tunji Bello nearly quit the government save for Asiwaju Tinubu, who intervened.
“Governor Ambode is behaving true to type as a civil servant, who does not want others to ‘eat’ anything, while he ‘eats’ more than he can stomach,” said a senior member of the APC.
Some members of the APC, who spoke to us anonymously revealed that Governor Ambode is starving the party of funds and that he rarely gives out things or money to party leaders.
According to them, Ambode usually gives out ‘Ileya’ sallah rams to party leaders late and that it is only this year that the rams came early, and they said this was because election period is near.
More so, some civil servants, who spoke to us and pleaded that there names should not be mentioned, accused Governor Ambode of making life difficult for them.
They stated that apart from salaries, the Governor does not allow the civil servants to do things the normal way, saying that he is doing all these because he was once a civil servant, adding that he knows all the secrets of the job and that he now uses his office to deal with the civil servants.
“Once he discovers that you are becoming powerful in your office, he would remove you. That was what he did in the Lagos State Television, where he changes the General Managers the way he changes his handkerchiefs. He is just too inquisitive and probing and this is not good for the system.
“He has been there before and nobody stopped him from getting what he needed, but he is making life difficult for others, this is not fair at all after all we voted for him during the 2015 elections. Is this the way he wants to pay us back ” said a source in Alausa Secretariat.
A lot of Lagosians are however beginning to question whether unarguably one of the greatest Nigerian political tacticians and leadership head-hunters, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has lost his touch and intuition by agreeing to shop for Ambode’s replacement.
They wonder how in this time of strife and uncertainty, the Jagaban of Borgu would even consider 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.
A source stated that “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 beach heads 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.
“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 must be changed are wooing Femi Otedola, the oil magnate, who is reported to have recently sold his Forte Oil business, to finance his ambition.
They argued that Femi Otedola is a  Christian from Epe (the same local government as the Governor), but a complete political novice will be controllable by them and they can continue to perpetrate their political control in Lagos.
Some of the leaders of the APC are insisting that Femi Otedola will be a worthy candidate to present to Lagosians as Governor of the centre of excellence.
There are also the serial candidates such as Hon. 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 propably 2023.
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.
Several stakeholders 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, former governor 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,” a source said.
Followers of events are now wondering if the same experience is going to play out again as it happened in 2010, when former governor Babatunde Raji Fashola was seeking second term of office.
“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,” a party chieftain said.
Some members of the APC, who did not want to give their names, stated that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, would not toy with the idea of not allowing Governor Akinwunmi Ambode contest for second term in office.
They emphasised that Tinubu knows what is good for the party and that he is sensitive to the opinions of millions of residents of the state that Ambode has beaten all the records in the state.
They added that “it would be suicidal not to field such a man with great ideas that has transformed Lagos State to a smartcity from megacity since he took over as Governor in 2015.”
But members of the APC are maintaining that nothing is impossible and that “it will serve the Governor right if he is removed because he feels once he pleases the people then the party his secondary. We will show him that we are more powerful than him.”

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