5th November, 2010
It is a fact that the journey to the seat of power at Alausa, Lagos, next year will be tough and perhaps impossible for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, considering the obstacles they will encounter facing the incumbent governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, who is generally adjudged to have done well.
Before now, many had thought that the national leadership of the PDP had ceded the state to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and as such would not do anything significant to empower the state chapter of the party let alone support it for any worthy political engagement.
However, the PDP in the state is already parading about seven governorship aspirants. As at last count, at least five aspirants have picked forms for the governorship race next year.
Those who have seriously expressed interest to run for the office include, Mr. Demola Seriki who at different times in the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, served as Minister of States for Agriculture and Water Resources and Minister of State; former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Ade Dosumu; Chief Tokunbo Kamson, Otunba Femi Pedro and Otunba Owolabi Salis.
There is speculation that Dr. Adedeji Aganga Williams, Minister for Finance is also interested but he is yet to declare his intention. Others are Tunde Olorogun Etti,  a former local government chairmanship aspirant for Lagos Mainland, Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi and Qudus Folami.
Political Platform reliably gathered that the battle for the party’s ticket will be a straight fight between the likes of Pedro, Kamson, Dosunmu and Seriki; and probably Salis, for his outspokenness and the nerve to criticize Governor Fashola on some of his administration’s policies.
Indeed, the battle for the soul of the party’s ticket and who would emerge as the candidate would be fiercely fought between the loyalists of Chief Olabode George, otherwise known as the Establishment Group, where Dosunmu and Seriki belong, and other forces within the party, known as the Union Group, where Pedro and Kamson hold sway.
George, though serving time in Kirikiri Prison for fraud, still commands respect within the party. He controls eleven local governments: Apapa, Mainland, Surulere, Kosofe, Agege, Mushin, Somolu, Ibeju-Lekki, Ojo, Lagos-Island and Amuwo-Odofin. The Union Group controls nine: Eti -Osa, Ikorodu, Badagry, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ikeja, Oshodi-Isolo, Alimosho and Ifako-Ijaiye.
The Union Group is made up of Lagos Solidarity Forum led by Ambassador Musiliu Obanikoro, former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe’s Global Mandate and other leaders of the party who are united with the desire to wrest the party from Bode George.
With the current calculation, the battle for the party’s ticket may just be a four horse race between either Dosumu or Seriki of the Establishment Group against Pedro or Kamson of the Union Group.
With the general elections slated for April next year, Lagos State will not only be a battle ground for the PDP and the AC N, but also for the aspirants who are lining up to clinch the PDP governorship ticket.