The parley with Tinubu has rather played up fresh intrigues and cloudy permutations. For the past 15 years, Tinubu’s political dynasty and clout has presided over the affairs of Lagos and it is through such influence that the political process of who gets what, how and when has been apportioned.
Even after leaving office as governor in 2007, his influence and grip on the affairs of the state, continues to loom large and it is on record that he solely “installed” the incumbent governor, Babtunde Fashola, who was at the time his Chief of Staff, against the deluge of opposing views from within and outside his party.
Sensing a crack in the Lagos APC over the intense rivalry for the governorship ticket of the party in the 2015 election, Tinubu last Sunday summoned an emergency meeting, which, according to a source, had in attendance the 10 aspirants jostling for the ticket, except Tayo Ayinde.
It was gathered that each of the aspirants was given an opportunity to express their concern and expectedly, the recurring question on the lips of the aspirants was whether their leader, Tinubu, had anointed any candidate among them, a query that the APC leader firmly denounced, the source noted.
Though Tinubu’s denial of anointing any of the aspirants, especially the former accountant-general of the state, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, calmed some aspirants, their supporters and strategists seem to have taken Tinubu’s denouncement with a pinch of salt. Tinubu was said to have assured the aspirants of a fair contest, urging them to sheath their swords and desist from any overt or covert attack against one another.
He was said to have extracted from each aspirant a pledge to support whoever won the primaries and work for APC to retain Lagos come February 2015. Last week, one of Tinubu’s closest acolytes and the National Legal Adviser of the APC, Dr. Muiz Banire, threw a veiled dart at his former boss and the party leaders in the state, warning that the party might meet its waterloo in 2015 if it fields an unpopular governorship candidate.
“The next governorship candidate of our party in Lagos State must be someone who has the capacity to lead and promote our general wellbeing. He must be a product of popular democratic process as required by the provisions of the Constitution of our party and the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and not someone imposed by subterfuges of one or few party leaders,” Banire said at a recent symposium in Lagos.
Already, leaders and caucuses in the party are currently placating some of the aspirants and negotiations are on course to ensure that aspirants who yield to the voice of the leaders and stands down, gets a soft landing with one compensation or the other. One of the permutations is to make Senator Ganiyu Solomon the running mate to Ambode since he is apparently not keen to return to the Senate.
Though some supporters of the Senate Minority Whip are firmly opposed to the arrangement, stating that their principal wants the guber ticket and not anything else. Also, given the warm assent that the aspiration of the Speaker of the state assembly, Rt. Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has met, it was gathered he may be pacified to step down before the primaries with the offer of a House of Representatives ticket.
Perhaps, the biggest pie the party may have to deal with is the influence of Fashola’s camp who it was gathered is queuing behind a former attorneygeneral of the state, Supo Sashore (SAN). While it look dramatic to many pundits on the sudden turnaround of the governor’s camp from the aspiration of Obafemi Hamzat, the commissioner for works and infrastructure, who was seen as Fashola’s favourite, some have claimed that the governor had foreseen the “impediments” that religion and ancestry would have on Hamzat’s candidacy.
Saturday New Telegraph learnt that Shasore’s chances would be curbed technically. “The party has zoned the governorship ticket to Lagos East whereas Sashore comes from the Lagos Central. So he will definitely be edged out of the race,” a senior member of the APC told our correspondent.
As of today, Hamzat and Ayinde have yet to openly declare for the governorship race. It was gathered that while Hamzat is angling to be settled with slot of Secretary to the State Government, Ayinde on his part, has already settled for a House of Representatives ticket, after allegedly being reprimanded by Tinubu over his governorship ambition.
A leader of the APC told Saturday New Telegraph that, “Now that all the aspirants have committed to a primary election, with a pledge to abide by the outcome and support the winner, can anyone still cry foul? But I can assure you that a sizeable number will step down before the primaries and support one of them.”
It was further learnt that Governor Fashola may end up contesting the Lagos West senatorial seat, a position for which his deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and former Minister of State for Defence, Ademola Seriki, have both shown an interest. The outrage generated by a possible Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the APC has ruled Fashola out of the race. Initially, he was being considered as a presidential running mate in 2015 to any of the northern candidate. See pages 48 and 49 for full story
Source: New Telegraph
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