8th September, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga
The battle for who replaces Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria is gathering momentum. Several chieftains of the All Progressive Congress, APC, have indicated interest in the governorship seat in 2015. Certainly, who flies the banner of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the governorship contest next year is key in sustaining the achievement of the present administration. But who will succeed Fashola in 2015, looking at the APC candidacy?
There is a growing list among APC members in Lagos State and among Fashola’s cabinet members aspiring to take over from him in 2015. Many of them have begun secret and open campaigns and lobby to get favour from the powers that be in the party.
The growing lists of contenders for Fashola’s position are the Lagos Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Kadri Hamzat; Speaker, Lagos House of Assembly, Aderemi Ikuforiji; former Commissioner for Education and Health, Dr. Leke Pitan; Senator Ganiu Olanrewaju Solomon, GOS; Senator Gbenga Ashafa; Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal; former Accountant General of Lagos State, Akin Ambode and former Head of Service, Adesegun Ogunlewe and Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, among others.
Reliably gathered, the APC leadership has zoned the Lagos governorship ticket to Lagos East Senatorial District, with Epe as the centre of focus. Since the decision was arrived at last year, many Epe sons and Lagos East indigenes have been fighting tooth and nail to get the attention and nod of the party to fly the banner of the APC in next year’s governorship election.
The two most viable contenders for the APC candidacy for the govrnorship ticket are Ambode and Hamzat. This is because why many said the party’s National leader, Aiwaju Bola Tinubu has given Ambode the nod to fly the banner of the APC, the incumbent Governor, Fashola has anointed Hamzat as his successor. This is leading to serious battle of wits. It is certain that either of these two will fly the banner of the APC in next year’s election unless a ‘miracle’ happens.
Early this year, the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu openly endorsed Ambode as the next governor and cast aspersion on Hamzat, dubbing him as an indigene of Ogun State. Speaking at the public presentation of the biography of Ambode titled: ‘The act of Selfless Service’, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Akiolu stunned all when he announced that Ambode was the ‘annointed one.’
“You people know me well that I do not hide my feelings on where I stand on issues. We the royal fathers have consulted widely with the sons and daughters of Lagos and have come to the conclusion that the best person to take over from Fashola, the iconic governor of Lagos State, is Mr Akinwunmi Ambode. We cannot have a man like this and allow somebody whose father is an Oba in Ewekoro, Ogun State to be the governor of Lagos.
Although Lagos State belongs to all Nigerians and the state will continue to offer opportunities to every Nigerian to actualize the Nigerian dream, Ambode remains the best man with the required pedigree and character take Lagos to the next level,” he said.
Akiolu was referring to Olatunji Hamzat, whose son Kadri is aspiring for the governorship of Lagos State. Akiolu’s statement that day was meant to spite Hamzat and quell his ambition and those of others lurking around for the illustrious position. His statement elicited serious condemnation, but the oba has refused to withdraw his statement.
Also, Ambode is strategically positioning himself for the battle ahead as he had met with political editors and news editors of major newspapers in the state to solicit their support, but his ambition seems to have suffered a little setback as his claim to indigeneship of Lagos has been countered. Ambode claimed he hailed from Epe, but the JAMB form he filled in 1983 showed he hailed from Ondo State.
Last week, Hamzat opened up on his ambition and indigenship brouhaha. He said he is interested in replacing Fashola next year and berated those who said he hailed from Ogun State, saying that he is an indigene of Lagos by origin.
“For me, I am interested. I intend to contest under our party and I understand that our party, APC has a lot of talented people and that is the truth, a lot of people that have been in government and have the skills. At the right time, all of us will present our case and I am sure the party will do the right thing and get a candidate that will defeat the PDP hands down,” he said.
On his indigeneship, Hamzat stated emphatically that he is a Lagosian by origin, tracing his paternal root to the Ajiborisa family of Epe, insisting that he is not from Ogun State as being claimed in several quarters.
“My father was a commissioner in Lagos State in 1979. The reality is that everything that my family has done is in Lagos and my dad played his politics in Lagos. The truth is this, I don’t think there is any politician who does not know my dad in Lagos. The reality is that there are lots of politicians in Ogun State who do not know my dad. Of course, he was at a time the vice chairman of the defunct Alliance For Democracy in the South West, so a lot of people may also know him.
“When his own father died, he was aged nine, that was when he lived in Epe all his life, in fact he went to primary school in Epe. If my dad happens to be one of those who lie, if he says he is from Lagos, nobody can dispute it. The present Olu of Epe went to the same primary school with him.
“When my father became a king, he took the title of Ajiborisa 1. Their name is Ajiborisa but because of religion, some of them said they don’t want to be Ajiborisa, his own name is Hamzat, but the family name is Ajiborisa and thankfully today, there are people that are alive. There is Ajiborisa family in Epe, we are from the same root. Because it is time now for people to understand, we are from the same root and the good thing is that there are eminent Nigerians that are in that family, Gen. Ajiborisa, the first Administrator of Osun State is alive and you can interview him, we are from the same root,” he explained.
According to Hamzat, “what happened was that my own great grandfather was a herbalist as I was made to understand. He went to a village in Ogun State, people in the land were suffering from some diseases that he went to cure. Afterwards, they gave him land in that village and he stayed there. His root was actually from Epe. I have my leg and arms in Lagos,” he stated.
Hamzat has been engaging in serious grassroots campaign in Epe to get recognition. He visited the area regularly to get acquainted with the people ,who now have soft spot for him. During the APC registration in February, the posters of Hamzat were distributed at the Alausa Central Mosque, urging people to register to become members of the party.
During the last year’s Sallah celebration, the posters of Hamzat were also displayed at the Epe roundabout canvassing for support from Epe indigenes to make him governor in 2015. The poster read: “Just before a new dawn, Happy Illeya Festival, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Omo wa ni (He is our son).
Not only that, T-shirts bearing Hamzat’s picture are now being worn by his supporters around Epe area, preparing the ground for his emergence as the candidate of the APC for the 2015 governorship polls. One of the T-shirts won by a woman had the caption: “Femi Hamzat, 2015.”
Fashola is said to be in love with the candidacy of Hamzat. Reliable sources said the governor has already presented the name of Hamzat to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as his successor.
Also interested in the governorship seat is the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Ikuforiji, who is from Epe. His chances are slim since he is entangled in alleged fraudulent controversies. The speaker is not letting it go as he is bent on becoming the governor of the state next year. He once said that only God could prevent him from becoming governor in 2015.
Ikuforiji’s posters are around Epe scheming to replace Fashola as governor of Lagos State. One of the posters read: “Omo wa ni o! Omowa ni Eleyi, (He is our son, this is our son) Original omo Epe! Sabitu Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Support the speaking speaker.”
Joining the growing list of those aspiring for the governorship ticket for 2015 is Dr. Leke Pitan, former Commissioner for Education and Health under the Tinubu administration. With Lagosians canvassing for Christian governor, Pitan is one of the Christians aspiring for the exalted office. During Tinubu’s era, his leadership qualities led to the transformation in the health and education sector.
Pitan is said to hail from Ikorodu and is desperate to become governor. He is also close to Tinubu, under whose administration he served with distinction for eight year and moreover, he is loyal to Tinubu. Pitan is said to be making the necessary move to get the APC to field him as the governorship candidate for the party in 2015. He has even declared his ambition openly and has been engaging in free health missions in the last few months to woo Lagosians to his side.
Joining the fray is Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS), representing Lagos West Senatorial District at the upper chamber of the National Assembly. GOS has openly declared his ambition and readiness to govern Lagos next year. He is a grassroots man and is adored by his supporters in Lagos West, especially Mushin.
Be that as it may, if Fashola is allowed to have his way in picking a successor, it will most likely be Hamzat, but it is left for the power brokers in the party to decide.
Meanwhile, Fashola is worried over who succeeds him. At a recent meeting with the State House Correspondents, the governor said he was seriously concerned about who will replace him in 2015.
He said he would want a successor that would surpass his eight year- achievement in four years. “I am not worried, but I am concerned about my successor. I hope, firstly that the next person is better than me. I hope that he can do in four years what we did in eight years and that can only be beneficial to all of us and of course by that time, I would have a governor, because I don’t have one now, am every body’s governor.
“We want somebody who can do these things in shorter time and make all of the things we have done like child’s play and that’s why I said I don’t want to be the best governor of Lagos state, the best Governor of Lagos is a futuristic idea. Every Lagos governor should be better than the last one. My innermost interest in the next election is for Lagos State to get a governor that will best protect and advance the interest of the state.”