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Ambode Cries Foul As Tinubu Is Set To Declare Jide Sanwo Olu As Lagos APC Governorship Candidate

tinubu jide sanwo olu lagos apc governor

By Ademola Oni and Sunday Aborisade, Sunday Punch

Ambode Cries Foul As Tinubu Is Set To Declare Jide Sanwo Olu As Lagos APC Governorship Candidate

The confusion over the reelection bid of Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, failed to clear off on Saturday as the All Progressives Congress national leadership could not secure a firm commitment from its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on governor’s second term ambition.

The APC leaders, led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who were said to be acting on the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari, met with Tinubu again to prevail on him to “forgive” Ambode his alleged infractions and back the governor to secure a second term.

A source close to the national secretariat of the party, however, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the effort of the leaders could not be said to have resolved the situation as Tinubu did not give Osinbajo and Oshiomhole any specific promise of supporting Ambode for a second term.

The source stated, “The President asked the vice-president and the national chairman to resolve the crisis amicably so that the governor could get a second term. Osinbajo met Tinubu twice in Abuja on Friday on Ambode’s matter, where he relayed the President’s message and the need to keep Lagos for the APC.

He also told Asiwaju the President would not want the crisis to affect the party in the 2019 general elections.

jide sanwo olu lagos governor

“The National Leader, however, maintained that there would be wider consultations back home before he would be able to accede to the request. He said the governor’s matter is beyond him alone.

“It is difficult to say what happened during the second meeting with Osinbajo but it appeared the vice-president and Tinubu were able to arrive at a meeting point, which is difficult to clarify.”

It was gathered that Buhari’s foremost concern was that the crisis in Lagos State, which boasts of the highest number of registered voters, if not well-managed, could affect his political calculations for his second term bid.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that as the APC leaders battled to save the embattled governor’s second term ambition, Ambode landed in Tinubu’s house in Abuja, where the governor appealed to the former Lagos State governor to forgive him his alleged offences.

Another very reliable party source said, “Yes, it was part of the efforts we are making from this end to save the party from crisis in the state and the nation. The governor came to beg Tinubu in his residence in Abuja to forgive him. I think the appeal helped to reduce the tension and soften the ground for the governor. It is, however, difficult to say if that had ended the crisis.

“Some governors have also called the national leader, pleading with him to save their ‘poster boy’ the humiliation of not getting a second term. Their fears are that such development in Lagos, which is the economic nerve centre of the country, could have negative effect on the fortunes of the party in other states.”

A source in the camp of the Lagos ex-governor, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, confirmed the meeting between Tinubu and his political godson in Abuja.

“Yes, the meeting held. He (Ambode) saw Asiwaju in Abuja but I cannot give you any detail,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu, Tinubu’s loyalists hold Lagos declaration rally today

It was learnt that Tinubu returned to Lagos on Saturday as preparations for the rally and formal declaration of an APC governorship aspirant in the state, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, were being concluded.

The organisers of the rally, billed for City Hall, Lagos Island, on Sunday, had concluded that 1,000 supporters be mobilised from each of the local government areas in the state for the rally.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that after the return of Tinubu from Abuja, the chairmen of the local governments held another crucial meeting at Watercress Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, on “new development” concerning the Sunday event.

A source at the meeting, who is an aide of one of the council chairmen, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the chairmen were informed that while the rally for Sanwo-Olu would still go ahead on Sunday, the chairmen should no longer “mobilise” 1,000 supporters from their local governments.

“No, the rally has not been called off. The chairmen are in the meeting, but the latest information is that they should no longer mobilise 1,000 people from the councils. Those to attend the rally are the leaders from the ward to the state level; the state and federal legislators and party chiefs,” he said.

One of the aides of Tinubu told one of our correspondents that the rally would still go ahead as planned on Sunday.

“That’s the grand declaration. It’s going ahead; nothing has changed,” he said.

Another source, a former member of the state House of Assembly, however, said the reduction in the number of those to attend the rally was a crowd control strategy at the venue.

“You know the way our people behave. Even the supporters, who are meant to attend, will get to the venue before the organisers,” he stated.

The former lawmaker, however, said the latest information on the battle to save Ambode’s job was that nothing had changed from the resolve of party stakeholders in the state to see off the Epe-born technocrat.

“As of this afternoon, what we heard was that Asiwaju has not agreed (to back Ambode). I don’t know what happened in the evening o; things might have changed,” he said.

A lawmaker, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, argued that while the embattled governor had not shown enough political sagacity in handling the affairs of the party leaders in the state, it would be in the interest of the APC to resolve its festering crisis amicably.

He added, “It was the same crisis we faced in the day of (Babatunde) Fashola until we were able to block the funneling of money to the Labour Party by one of our leaders.

“Don’t forget that we lost some seats to the PDP in the last elections. We knew what we had to do to bring some of them back to the APC.

“So, it is in the interest of the party to resolve this crisis to prevent such crack again.”

Epe Christians, Muslims, others organise prayers to save son’s job

Meanwhile, it was learnt that some segments of Epe, the hometown of Ambode, had embarked on prayers to save the head of their son, whom they believed had positively contributed to the modernisation of the ancient town.

The prayers, it was learnt, cut across Muslims, Christians and traditional worshippers.

The Olu-Epe of Epe town, Oba Sefiu Olatunji Adewale, attended a special Islamic vigil organised by the Muslim Community at the Epe Central Mosque, on Friday night and lasted till the early hours on Sunday.

The prayer session is an annual programme meant to pray for the general well-being of all Epe indigenes.

15 Comments

15 Comments

  1. Mon

    September 16, 2018 at 6:44 AM

    This is part of clear evidence that votes does not count,especially in Nigeria and this god fatherizm will not stop….as these puppets are choosing who to be governor,so also their colonial masters determines who will be president of Nigeria,not for interest of Nigerians,but for them.

    • Tade Ogunmola

      September 16, 2018 at 6:50 AM

      I agree with you. Tinubu is the godfather of apc politics. If you don’t respect him or pay obeyance, you are gone

  2. mulikat

    September 16, 2018 at 6:57 AM

    what a country, but people votes not Tinubu ,my God, Ambode do a good work in lagos, he will win second times,why God father Tinubu, after all he is not original yoruba lagosian, is yoruba from Osun , if am not mistakeing, Ambode is Original lagosian from Epe, lagos state.

    • Danti

      September 16, 2018 at 6:38 PM

      Mulikat, what are you saying? I don’t know what you mean by “original Lagosian” everybody came from somewhere. Lagos is an artificial Yorubaland; meaning, that it belongs to all the Yorubas.

  3. Abdulkareem

    September 16, 2018 at 8:33 AM

    Whether godfatherism or not with all due respect govenour ambode has performed below expectations.

  4. DB

    September 16, 2018 at 10:23 AM

    No be only Fowl, you go soon cry Goat when they kick you out of office. The frustrations of Lagosians, those multiple and crazy taxations that is making you frustrate businesses will kick you out!

  5. Akash

    September 17, 2018 at 2:16 AM

    Remember the Ambode- wife/government house saga? I reserve my comments.

  6. Dele Ogundowole

    September 17, 2018 at 4:14 AM

    Ambode is doing well please let. give him the ticket for the second time. Asiwaju is a father to all and he should forgive and forget and we shouldnt allows the personal intrest of some fews so called party leaders to robbed us of. the good and robust governance we are enjoying in lagos state now.Lagos is a model to other state.

  7. Niyi Oladimeji

    September 17, 2018 at 6:15 AM

    We have felt the impact of the development Ambode has brought to the suburbs of Lagos mainland, especially the feeder roads linking Ipaja to various parts of Ogun state.The excesses of land speculators have been greatly curbed. If Ambode erred in the area of the city sanitation, tell me who is so perfect. We must remember that power belongs to the Almighty, God. Human beings given the privilege of transient power must be cautious and humble in its exercise . Let’s leave this matter to God and stop idolising any human being. God knows how to balance any equation, no matter what.

    • Mot

      September 17, 2018 at 10:55 AM

      Niyi, It is not that Ambode faulted in the area of sanitation, its that he met a working system and cancelled it just to put in place, an untested, now failed waste management system. asides from the Ipaja road you mentioned, please tell me what else he has done to improve the lives of Lagosians. Tinubu did the same to Fashola after his first term, but his accomplishments spoke for him and the people brought him in for a 2nd term. It is time we remove this mentality that 2nd term is a must! if he has failed, let someone else come and take the position, an we hope for the best!

  8. Princess Lanre

    September 17, 2018 at 8:43 AM

    Infact this matter tired me oo, Ki lode ti awa omo eda adamo, akii gba lesson lowo iku, according to Late Gbenga Adeboye, may he continue to rest in peace, amen. All power belongs to Almighty God, let’s leave everything to God, just like Niyi Oladimeji said, God knows how to balance any equation no matter what. Ki Olorun Gba agbara lowo alagbara aye ti o n fi agbara re ni omo Nigeria lara. Soon power will sure change hands by force by fire In Jesus name….

    God bless Nigeria…

    I take my stroll now…….

  9. fifelomo

    September 18, 2018 at 10:25 PM

    Is it not better to serve a TERM peacefully? Tinubu is no god, if God says this is the end of the road for you bn a governor of this state, so be it! Remember, even if you are bn granted the second term, you will someday finish your term.

  10. Cellina

    September 18, 2018 at 11:10 PM

    *Sacked State House Chaplain: Ambode Incurs God’s Wrath By Touching His Anointed*

    *By Adeoba Michaels*

    The embattled and outgoing Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode is an emperor. And he is not sorry about it.

    Before now, he used his office as governor to deal with many perceived foes in Lagos.

    Like a wounded Lion, he pounced on his immediate predecessor, Babatunde Fashola to devour him. If not for the Lord who was on his side, Fashola would have ended in jail.

    When Fashola got enthroned as ‘Prime Minister’ in the Buhari cabinet, Ambode got furious and devoured his friends and associates at home.

    In his first week office, he sacked Fashola’s sister, Yinka Fashola, 18 permanent secretaries, the vindictive governor had terminated appointment of 33 Permanent Secretaries so far.

    He humiliated and sacked George Noah, LASAA MD, Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, Lara Odebunmi, Safety Commission, Foaud Oki among others .

    He also frustrated many out of government. They include Ganiyu Johnson, Tunde Fowler and many others.

    Ambode should have limited his arbitrary use of power to politicians and those in his cabinet but strayed into God’s arena and the Lord struck him.

    Governor Ambode sacked and evicted a Chaplain of the Chapel of Christ The Light, Alausa (Government House Chapel) , Rev Femi Taiwo for not anointing his wife, Bolanle first before other parishioners.

    The cleric was disgraced and his belongings and family thrown out of government apartment.

    It took the intervention of Nigerians especially his parishioners for the man of God to get shelter.

    I read on a reputable online medium, Complete News, that the clergy was still floating one year after Ambode sacked him.

    Oluremi Tinubu and Abimbola were first ladies in Lagos and heads didn’t roll in the cathedral.

    I have no doubt that God is avenging the wicked acts of Governor Ambode particular the harm he did to his prophet, Rev Femi Taiwo.

    The governor has been committing embarrassing gaffes ever since which suggest that the Lord is against him.

    He started by building needless statues that should earn him accolades but rather brought him reproach.

    Lagosians fumed at the Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s statue built by the governor where a cosmopolitan, dandy sage was decked in Agbada with his trademark cap and glasses to match and then a laced safety boots.

    Like a man who is under an influence of a spell or forces beyond him, Governor Ambode without consultation with Lagosians and even his party leaders hiked Land Use Charge by over 400 percent!

    Lawyers abandoned courts to protest to Alausa over what they tagged, Rejection Of Ambode’s Satanic, Toxic Tax. That singular indiscretion dropped his ratings and turned him to a pariah.

    To assuage the public anger and revolt that almost consumed his government, Ambode declared 50% discount on LUC as if tax was a telecom promo.

    That means the hike will be 200 percent.

    Would 200 percent tax hike be a sound decision when the country was in a recession? If not that God wanted to end the governor’s reign.

    While the Land Use Charge was about to mellow, the waste crisis escalated and spiralled out of control.

    The governor had sacked wastes managers popularly called PSPs with over 25,000 workers and brought in an acclaimed foreign waste managers for Lagos called Visionscape.

    The government guaranteed N50b bond that was raised for the so-called foreign firm to take off.

    Is that not strange and worrisome? Is it the government that should stand as guarantor for ‘foreign investors’?

    It means if Visionscape fails, Lagos tax payers will pay the N50bn debt.

    Ambode’s visionscape has no vision and capacity for Lagos mega wastes. Without mincing words, Visionscape failed and collapsed when it could not handle the task.

    Industry experts say Lagos would not recover and get back to a state of relative sanity in the next 10 years.

    According to them, on average, Lagos generates 35,000 metric tonnes of wastes a day, if not evacuated in three days, it will accumulate to over 100,000 metric tonnes which could be as high as 2-storey building.

    Despite, the hurried beckoning of PSPs to rescue the overwhelmed Visionscape, the backlogs are still warehoused in residents’ compounds across the state particularly in the hinterlands.

    Ambode demoralized PSP investors and operators. He was cajoing them while environment degenerated.

    The governor caused the crisis not the residents or saboteurs.

    Now, God Almighty has decided to humble Ambode who believed he was untouchable.

    Like God did in the Bible days, he just showed Ambode that he ruled in the affairs of men and took his kingdom away from him.

    The fatal end of Ambode is a lesson to every leader who is abusing grace and acting as if the day of reckoning would not come.

    *Adeoba Michaels is a Public Affairs Analyst writes from Lagos*

  11. Chuks

    September 30, 2018 at 8:16 PM

    Politics getting interesting by the day.

  12. Christian

    October 2, 2018 at 8:49 PM

    What’s the faith of our called youth of federal Republic of Nigeria,what had he committed to deserve such a treatment,a GOOD man with GOOD heart is treated like this,wonders shall never seize in this nation

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