6th January, 2011
Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Lagos State, South West Nigeria, Chief Henry Ajomale has given reasons why the party decided to endorse Governor Babatunde Fashola to vie for a second term under the flagship of the party.
The ACN, at its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Lagos yesterday formally endorsed Fashola after a long period of silence as to who would fly the flag of the party in coming governorship poll in Lagos.
The loss of a constituency in Ikorodu to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP last month appeared to have jolted the ACN that if it fields an unpopular candidate the party might lose Lagos to the opposition party.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS last night, Ajomale said the party gave Fashola the nod to return unopposed for a second term because he had performed well and beyond the imagination of the populace.
“Donâ€
“If he can do what he did in four years, then he deserved the ticket. You canâ€
According to Ajomale, these and many more exploits that he did in transforming Lagos were what the party leaders considered in endorsing him for a second term to carry the banner of the ACN in the coming governorship election in Lagos.
Publicity Secretary, ACN, Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe said Fasholaâ€
“In Fashola, I have seen somebody who will not only transform Lagos but Nigeria in the future. I have seen his vision and I know he is the right man. I see him going beyond 2015.
“I know my leader, Asiwaju will not make a mistake. Asiwaju is Fasholaâ€
On Wednesday, the ACN announced Fashola as its flag bearer for the coming governorship election in Lagos after meeting of the NEC, saying that he is the best man for the job because of his achievement in the last four years.
Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu formally raised up Fasholaâ€
Tinubu denied ever having a rift with Fashola, stressing that such rumours were being perpetrated by “political rodents and enemies who did not know how I knew him.â€
According to him, Fashola had scored 85 percent performance in moving Lagos to greater heights, saying that he remained the best man for the job.
“He is my son. Those that were peddling the rumour are those that did not know how I knew him. He is endeared to me. The agents of destruction, political rodents, enemies and scavengers in the corridors of power who want to continue to loot state funds without working to deliver dividends of democracy are those peddling the rumours.
“They said I was jealous of his achievements and all sort of things. If you have a son that has surpassed your records, you celebrate him. I am the pathfinder. He is the navigator. I am the one that identified the talent,†Tinubu stated.
The former governor stated that in the last four years, Lagos had been transformed and taken to another level, while he called on Lagosians to come out to register in the forthcoming votersâ€
Recalling the difficulties he went through in getting members to accept Fashola as the partyâ€
“They told me one thing: Bola, you are our leader. Where you are going, we are going with you. We believe in you and if you say this man is good, then so be it.â€
— Kazeem Ugbodaga & Yisa Jamiu