3rd November, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Some All Progressives Congress, APC, leaders in Lagos State, western Nigeria, have insisted on zoning the governorship ticket of the party to Lagos East Senatorial District as the district remains the only one that has not produced a governor.
At a closed door meeting with six of the governorship aspirants in Lagos, the leaders, who are members of the Elders Forum of the party and part of the Governor’s Advisory Council, said since the national leadership of the party had zoned the governorship ticket to Lagos East, the arrangement should be upheld.
At the recent meeting were APC elder statesmen such as Alhaji Busura Alebiosu, Bashorun Olorunfunmi and others mainly from Lagos East.
A top source at the meeting held recently said governorship aspirants at the meeting were the former Accountant General of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode; former Commissioner for Special Duties, Lagos State, Dr. Tola Kasali; Dr. Leke Pitan; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon.
At the meeting the APC elders screened the aspirants to know their visions and aspirations for Lagos and why they wanted to govern Lagos State, but insisted that the zoning formula should be respected. During his 2,700 Days in office, Fashola doused speculation that governorship aspirants of the party in Lagos State were holding meetings to enable them come out with a consensus candidate, adding that the APC has a constitution which prescribes primaries as prelude for emergence of candidates for elective offices.
The governor gave a pass mark to all the APC aspirants, stressing that any of them is capable of carrying out the task of governing the state since they are part of government and warned the electorate against voting for people who seek to use the state for an experiment.
Some members of the APC have obtained nomination form for the governorship ticket of the party. The aspirants are Ambode, Kasali, GOS, Dr. Kadri Hamzat, Tayo Ayinde, Dr. Leke Pitan, Ikuforiji, Sasore and Lanre Ope.