In Lagos, Ambode, others walking a tight rope

Lagos is always an interesting hub when it is politics season. Like what happened ahead of 2015 when National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu rose against the choice of then outgoing Governor Babatunde Fashola, the Asiwaju is at

Akinwunmi Ambode This is the sitting governor of Lagos State who is seeking for a second term ticket on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party that brought him to power. A professional accountant and former Accountant General of Lagos State Government, Ambode’s emergence as successor to former Governor Babatunde Fashola, SAN, who is the current Minister of Power, Works and Housing was not without rancour.

However, his nomination pulled through after winning the party’s gubernatorial primary election in a landslide through the massive support received from his then political godfather and National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Ambode’s strength in the battle ahead is the seamless access he has to the state resources which can be at his beck and call. Similarly, the governor is believed to have raised a number of lieutenants, many of whom are suspected to have benefited from a number of projects so far awarded by the state government as contractors. Ambode also has going for him a number of impressive projects to point at as achievements, as well as on-going ones that can persuade those that would want such projects to be completed.

However, the governor’s biggest political battle is not with candidates of the opposition parties but within his party. In the last few weeks, he has been embroiled in a twist and turn battle with Tinubu, his political godfather on the one hand and party elders on another hand.

Accusation thrown at the governor of not being a team player; allegation of destroying his godfather’s political structure while building his; withdrawing contracts from party faithful while re-awarding same to his cronies; starving the party secretariat of funds and support, among other accusations, are things that might likely work against him.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu

He is the Managing Director of the Lagos State Property Development Council (LSDPC). By virtue of working in an agency of the state government led by Ambode, Sanwo-Olu is rather an aide of the governor. However, the politics of the last few days seem to be changing the tide and Sanwo-Olu has emerged as the biggest political threat to Ambode in his quest to retain his seat as the state governor for a second term.

Regarded as a public sector expert in human resources and policy formation, Sanwo-Olu has at different times served as Special Adviser to former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mr Femi Pedro, as well as Tinubu when he was state governor. He also served under the immediate past-governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, as Commissioner for Commerce and Industry; Budget and Planning as well as Establishments and Training.

His strength lies on the groundswell of support he is believed to be enjoying from Tinubu and other party stalwarts who are allegedly fed up with Governor Ambode and are spearheading the call to deny him a second term ticket. It is currently believed in Lagos political circle that with the level of support so far garnered, if a direct primary should take place in the party today, Sanwo-Olu stands a better chance than any other aspirant.

His weakness, however, lies in the fact that, just like Ambode, he has no firm political control of his own as everything depends largely on Tinubu and the party stalwarts. It means that his aspiration revolves around Tinubu’s body language. It is believed that should Tinubu opt to forgive Ambode and ask party machinery to return allegiance to him, Sanwo-Olu’s ambition will simply die a natural death.

Obafemi Hamzat

He is a technocrat and three-term commissioner serving both Tinubu and Fashola administrations at the Ministry of Science and Technology as well as Works and Infrastructure, respectively. His father, Oba Hamzat, until his emergence as a king in Ewokoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, was one of the most respected political leaders in Lagos. At the last gubernatorial primary, the younger Hamzat came a distant second after Ambode.

At the early stage of his aspiration at the time, he was supported by his boss, Governor Fashola but complains from the Christian community in the state, clamouring for a Christian gubernatorial candidate was said to have forced Fashola to back out and shifted support to his long-time friend and former Attorney General of the State, Supo Sasore, SAN.

Hamzat’s entrance into the race this time was surprising as he has maintained political silence since he lost out of the last APC primary. He is believed to be enjoying the support of faction loyal to Fashola and Muiz Banire, the former APC National Legal Adviser.

Hamzat’s strength lies in the fact that there are those who believed he might be the biggest beneficiary of any spill-off that may occur from the intractable political wrangling between Tinubu and Ambode’s loyalists in the party.

His weakness, however, lies in the fact that beyond the possibility of protest votes from either the Ambode or Tinubu loyalists, he may not be able to garner as much votes as needed to win the party’s ticket.

The Fashola/Banire’s camp which may also aid his chances is also not with the mainstream of the party but one being spearheaded by a splinter group headed by Fouad Oki.

The PDP house

In the PDP, the main contenders at the moment are the party’s candidate in the last governorship election, Mr. Jimi Agbaje and another former aspirant, Engr. Deji Doherty. The duo have recently obtained the nomination and expression of interest forms and submitted same.

Jimi Agbaje

Agbaje is hoping to stage a comeback and consolidate his outing in the last election when he polled 659,788 as against 811,994 votes recorded by the then APC candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode.

With the outcome of the 2015 election, many PDP chieftains believed they were actually rigged out of the poll by the ruling class in the state. But attempt to challenge the APC victory in tribunal and the court failed to yield results.

Ahead of 2019 elections, Agbaje, who was said to be initially reluctant in re-contesting, has however thrown his hat in the ring for the second term.

The soft-spoken pharmacistturned-politician was born on March 2, 1957. He was a member of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (1999-2006); National Secretary of the Nigerian Association of General Practice Pharmacists (NAGPP) from 1987 to 1990; National Chairman NAGPP (1990-1993) and Chairman Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Lagos State (1994-1997). He was a member, Lagos State Task force on Fake and Adulterated Drugs (19891993), National Drug Formulary and Essential Drugs List (1986-1993) and Lagos Hospitals Management Board (1994-1997).

He joined politics in 2005 and in 2007, Agbaje vied for the governorship on the platform of the defunct Action Congress (AC) but failed to pick the ticket and eventually left the party to join the Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA) under which he contested in 2007.

Deji Doherty

On his part, Doherty, who was born into the Doherty dynasty of Popo Aguda in downtown Lagos Island area of Lagos State in the 60s. He bagged a degree in Industrial Engineering in the United States.

Though widely seen as an entrepreneur, he is not a Lilliputian in politics having been a foundation member of PDP since 1998 and a grassroots women and youth mobilizer.

He has served the PDP as the South-West Zonal Organising Secretary and as Acting Deputy National Chairman Southwest PDP. His political profile will not be complete without talking about his experiences in 2007 when he and other governorship aspirants were incarcerated for a month over the death of former politician and governorship aspirant, Engr. Funsho Williams.

However, he continues to tell his supporters that his experiences at the time have also helped to shape and sharpen his political trajectory.

Daily Trust gathered that party leaders are currently divided over who to support between the two aspirants as they are both considered to be able and fit to fly the flag of the party.

As the APC battles with internal wrangling over the party primaries, the PDP is looking to cash in on the crisis and actualize its dream of taking over governance of Lagos State.

However, the challenge before the party remains in choosing a formidable candidate to face whoever the APC puts forward as its candidate.

Inside sources informed our correspondent that Agbaje is strongly making a case for the ticket to be handed over to him, insisting he almost demystified the APC in the last election and with the support of all members of the party; he could win this time around.

Also, Doherty, who has been very frequent in all activities of the party of recent, appearing in all visits of the presidential aspirants in recent times, has been presenting himself as a loyal and committed party man who should be trusted with the ticket.

But feelers within the leadership of the party are said to be disposed to allowing the two aspirants to go to the primaries and prove their popularity. “We are determined to take over governance of the state this time around and we need a very formidable candidate. We will allow the two aspirants to test their popularity at the primaries,” a source said.

Apparently referring to Tinubu, Senate President Bukola Saraki who was in Lagos recently for his presidential campaign visit, had assured PDP leaders in the state that he would teach them how to defeat a powerful oligarchy.