Lagos 2015: Tinubu Boys; GOS, Ashafa, Hamzat, Ikuforiji, Set For War

As the 2015 elections are fast approaching, not a few political gladiators in the centre of excellence are making final moves to take over from Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State under the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Sources revealed that a National Leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has expressly made it clear that the whole thing would be a survival of the fittest and that it is now the turn of Lagos East to produce the next Governor of the state.

With this arrangement, and statement of Asiwaju Tinubu, the competition would be a big fight amongst his core loyalists such as Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon popularly known as GOS, Senator Bareeu Gbenga Ashafa, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt (Hon) Adeyemi Ikuforiji and the state’s Commissioner for Works, Femi Hamzat amongst others.

It was gathered that Senator Solomon, who is representing Lagos West in the Senate, would be contesting from Ikorodu Division.

Tinubu reportedly revealed after a brainstorming stakeholders’ meeting held at the party secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, Lagos, that he would not interfere with the party primaries that would produce the party’s Governorship candidate in the state for the 2015 elections.

However, the former governor did not comment on the agitation for a Christian governor for the state in 2015. Other aspirants fingered to be jostling for the plum job from the zone include member, House of Representatives and Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa; former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan; former aide to Tinubu, Tayo Ayinde, former Accountant-General of the State, Akinwunmi Ambode and others.

The declaration it was gathered, ended the speculations as to which of the three zones would produce Governor Babatunde Fashola’s successor.

We were informed that the declaration has doused a lot of tension, which could have resulted in controversies among party faithful.

But another source told us that the whole thing is an unfolding drama that would come to a climax in a couple of weeks and that the party leadership and former governor Tinubu could not afford to treat the matter with kid’s gloves.

Tinubu, who governed the state on the platform of Alliance for Democracy, AD, before it transformed to Action Congress, AC, from 1999 to 2003, came through Lagos West, while his successor, Fashola, came from Lagos Central and he will complete his two terms of eight years in 2015. Lagos East is the only zone yet to produce a governor in the state since 1999. Lagos East comprises  Somolu, Kosofe, Agboyi-Ketu, Ikorodu West, Ikorodu North, Imota, Igbogbo-Bayeku, Agbowa, Ejinrin, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Areas.

Addressing members of the party at a stakeholder meeting held at the state party secretariat, ACME Road, Tinubu said: “as we are preparing for the state congress of the party, the people from Lagos East will have to make do with whatever position they give them in the State Executive as they are going to have a chunk of producing the next governor in the state come 2015.”

He also announced that a new guideline for the composition of the State Executive for the benefit of women and youths in the party has been introduced to reflect new faces and loyal members.

Tinubu revealed that the party had arrived at 30% seats for women, 30% for youths who should not be more than 35 years of age and the remaining 40% for men. He added that the race for the State Executive positions is open, urging interested members to obtain application forms. On the issue of religion, the APC national leader advised that it should not be politicised, saying that leadership, good quality, competence is more important, especially when the battle and the intention was right.

The interim Chairman of Lagos APC, Henry Oladele Ajomale said Lagos West and Lagos Central have had their share of the governorship slot, hence the turn of Lagos East to have its fair share. He disclosed that the decision, among others was reached at a crucial meeting of the party last week Tuesday.

A source within the APC, who spoke to us anonymously some days ago, said that nobody could say where the whole thing would end eventually.

According to him, “our leaders are at a dilemma on what to do. They have been telling Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he should not do it the Governor Fashola way in 2007.

They are insisting that interested parties should be allowed to test their popularity and that it should be a survival of the fittest. But I can tell you for free that it would not be as easy as we all envisage, this is the mother of all battles because Lagos is the centre of excellence and the party is interested in who becomes the next Governor.”