Battle For The Soul Of Lagos…The Plot Against Tinubu

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Today March 9, 2019, Nigerians will go to the polls once again to elect their governors and members of the State House of Assembly across the federation. The governorship election is expected to take place in 29 out of the 36 States of the federation, while that of the State House of Assembly will be conducted in all the States.

Of all the states, there is no doubt that the election in Lagos State will attract huge attention locally and internationally. This is predicated on the fact that the State, also known as the Centre of Excellence is regarded as a mini Nigeria and the commercial nerve centre of the most populous black nation; every ethnic group, religion, culture and tradition is fully represented in the estimated over 18 million population of the state.

Over 40 political parties are in the race jostling to win the governorship seat. In the last couple of months, weeks and days, after the emergence of the flag bearers of the different political parties taking part in the exercise, all manner of wits, strategies and plans had been deployed specifically targeted at the electorate. It is however, not unexpected as Lagos remains the primary target of most political parties trying to establish their foothold or supremacy.

Since 1999, Lagos State has remained impregnable by other political parties especially for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as they had failed in several attempts to clinch the governorship seat. The heat generated by different political parties every election year can be traced to the fact that aside being the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, Lagos unarguably remains the only State that can comfortably survive without Federal allocation.

Like in the previous governorship elections, there is a serious battle for the soul of Lagos. Over 40 political parties are taking part in the gubernatorial election but measuring by the outcome of political activities and several debates across the state, it appeared the race is between four major candidates. The four strong contenders are Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC; Mr. Jimi Kolawole Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi of the Action Democratic Party, ADP and Mr. Owolabi Salis of the Alliance for Democracy, AD.

Aside running on the platform of the governing APC in the state, Sanwo-Olu is considered as the front runner in the race to Alausa. Before his political foray, Sanwo-Olu was a renowned banker who had served as Treasurer at former Lead Merchant Bank Plc between 1994 and 1997. He was also Head, Foreign Money market and Deputy General Manager at United Bank for Africa (UBA). His other roles included being Deputy General Manager, Divisional Head, at First Inland Bank, Plc (now First City Monument Bank) and Chairman of Baywatch Group Limited.

He eventually joined politics in 2003 when the then Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro, appointed him as his Special Adviser on Corporate Matters. He became Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in 2007. Between 2007 and 2015, Sanwo-Olu was Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola‘s Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions.

The APC governorship candidate holds a B.Sc and MBA in Surveying from the University of Lagos. Sanwo-Olu also attended the Kennedy School of Government, USA; the London Business School and the Lagos Business School (LBS).

The candidate of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, Jimi Agbaje, is not a newcomer to the race having contested on different platforms before now. He is seen by many as a major force because of his courage to always throw his hat into the race after failed attempts.

The PDP governorship candidate is a pharmacist. Born Olujimi Kolawole Agbaje, he started his own company, JAYKAY Pharmaceutical and Chemical Company Limited in 1982. During this period, he held various professional positions. They included the National Secretary, Nigerian Association of General Practice (1987–1990), Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (1994–1997) and Chairman of the 1994 National Conference Planning committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.

He was the Managing Director of his company until 2005 when he joined politics. Agbaje’s first political party was the Action Congress (AC). From there he left for Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA),with what is believed to have been a really great campaign in 2007. He lost to Babatunde Raji Fashola of AC. He left DPA in 2011 for the PDP. Agbaje secured PDP’s ticket to run for the third consecutive time for the office of governor of Lagos State in October 2018. The three-time governorship candidate studied at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).

Babatunde Gbadamosi is the candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). He caught the eyes of many Lagosians with his perceived sterling performance in one of the gubernatorial debates recently, which made many Twitter users to rate his chances of clinching the seat very high.

Gbadamosi is a real estate mogul, property developer and Chairman of Redbrick Homes International Ltd. He owns Amen Estate, a prestigious property located in Eleko Beach in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos. It is also said to be a favourite location for big Nigerian movie producers. He started this property business after leaving London to invest in the country.

Gbadamosi’s desire to contribute to the improvement of the situation of things in the country first led him into the political arena in 2011. That year, he tried but failed to emerge on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He had another failed attempt in 2015 and this is his third attempt. Gbadamosi studied law at Lagos State University from 1986 to 1989 and is said to possess a near intimidating resume.

The candidate of the Alliance for Democracy is Owolabi Salis. He is a chartered accountant, a practicing lawyer and a jurist doctor of New York. Salis first ran for governorship on the platform of PDP in 2007.

He holds a B.Sc in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria and M.Sc., in Accounting, University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Salis also studied Law in University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is a Barrister at Law (B.L.,) Council of Legal Education, Nigeria, FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, CIBN (Fellow graded), ANIPR, Associate, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, CPA, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), New York State Bar 2002 and USA National Association of Security Dealers (NASD) Now FINRA. Salis has over 30 years of practice of Law, Accounting, Finance and General Consulting.

Some pundits are of the opinion that the battle for the soul of Lagos is not actually just about the four aforementioned contenders; they believe there are much more to the coveted seat.

It is strongly believed that the raging battle is between the opposition forces and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Lagos State is perceived by the opposition as the stronghold of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and to whittle down his influence they are making every effort to win in the state.

In the past, opposition forces like former Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, had made concerted attempts aimed at taking over Lagos State. They had applied conventional and unconventional means but it appeared a very difficult task. This election year is not different. Following the crushing defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party by President Muhammadu Buhari in the last February 23 Presidential polls, the takeover of Lagos by any means necessary is being contemplated by the camp of the opposition forces as a great consolation. Their strategists believe that taking over Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve centre, will enable the opposition party become an effective countervailing force to the APC-controlling Abuja, the political capital.
In 2015, it was alleged that the PDP in their bid to capture Lagos, deployed so much money in foreign and local currencies in order to induce voters after they lost the Presidential poll to the APC. The situation may not be different this time around as they were said to have mobilised ahead of the Saturday March 9 States election with not just money but also a vicious smear campaign against Tinubu, who is believed to have coordinated PDP’s defeat as the Co-Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
Like in the previous attempts, the opposition forces were said to have targeted to spread anti-Tinubu messages in the traditional media, social media, and deploying any means necessary to achieve their aim.

In 2015, it came in the form of a documentary titled the ‘Lion of Bourdillon’ but this time around seeing the effect of the ‘O To Ge’ movement in Kwara State which made their candidates including controversial Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, lose their seats, the opposition launched their own version in Lagos.

They have equally reportedly played the ethnic card which caused friction between the ethnic nationalities following the voting trend in some areas in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly election.

The first leg of the strategy meeting, it was reliably gathered, held at highbrow Intercontinental Hotel on Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos last Saturday night where the PDP governorship candidate in Lagos, Agbaje, was said to have met with Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, a former ally of Tinubu, and a few others to perfect the plan to recruit a faction of Afenifere and willing human rights activists to create a facade that the anti-Tinubu campaign is the initiative of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). The support of the likes of Olisa Agbakoba, SAN; Yinka Odumakin and others were said to have been secured in the grand plot.
One of the prominent anti-Tinubu forces is alleged to be Afikuyomi. He has been described by many as the ‘Judas’ having benefitted politically from Tinubu for many years. Aside the disclaimer put out by the APC in Lagos State, he was said to have been part of the ‘Dubai retreat’ hosted late last year by the Atiku camp after winning the PDP presidential ticket to draw up a ‘war plan’ against Buhari.
It was alleged that to evade public scrutiny or being accused of ‘anti-party activity’ by the APC, Afikuyomi was said to have opted out of the Dubai-Abuja flight and rather made a detour by flying to Lagos through Uganda.
It will be recalled that Afikuyomi had been the chief coordinator of the second term bid of the outgoing Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, just to get at Tinubu which crashed in the APC primaries held in October, 2018. Another person fingered in the plot against Tinubu is Mr. Wale Oluwo, a core supporter of the outgoing governor. Oluwo, who resigned as the Lagos State Commissioner for Energy, has been described as commander in the anti-Tinubu plot. After his exit from the Lagos State cabinet last October, Oluwo declared support for Agbaje’s governorship ambition.

Lagos has always been coveted by the PDP and many politicians have sworn to teach Tinubu a political lesson this time around. But their case is not helped by the recent realignments that took place across the state. The Igbo Community in Lagos aided by the oil mogul Ifeanyi Ubah-led Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN and other groups endorsed Sanwo-Olu of the APC as their candidate, thereby boosting his chances of winning. With the likes of Musiliu Obanikoro, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Muiz Banire and others closing ranks, and lately Governor Ambode joining the campaign train of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the battle for the soul of Lagos will likely be won by the APC and the pro-Tinubu forces in Lagos State.