APC boils as Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, Gbajabiamila, Odunmbaku, Faleke, sponsor candidates for Lagos LG primaries

The internal rivalries over the sponsorship of aspirants for the primaries of the All Progressives

Congress (APC) to nominate candidates for the local government election has continued to heat up the party in Lagos State.

Notable APC leaders in Lagos State who include the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Cardinal James Odunmbaku, popularly called Baba Eto, James Faleke, a member of the House; and others have been entangled in overt and covert political conflagration to ensure victory for the aspirant each is sponsoring for either the chairmanship or chancellorship ticket at the APC primary election scheduled for Saturday, May 29 in the build up to  the July 24 local government election in the state.

The party leaders are mainly members of the Lagos State APC Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making structure of the state party.

National Daily investigation revealed that political activities have been high across the state in the build up to the local government election. Mobilisation and lobby have been deepened across the party stakeholders. While party supporters are holding ward and communal meetings consolidating on the strategies of their respective aspirant, several local councils in the state, especially, those that most aspirants are still in office, have embarked on emergency tarring of streets in many local governments across the state. The state public works are deployed to work at night, sand fill the streets and rollout the tars.

National Daily investigation further revealed that while mobilization of supporters has heightened, there are indicators of most aspirants rolling out huge sums of money which are being distributed at meeting venues in wards of the state, free beer available for supporters, among others.

Some emerging leaders in the state APC are challenging certain godfathers who are bent on imposing certain candidates or creating a dynasty out of the APC built around their families. Those APC leaders imposing their sons or family members are getting good fight from some of the emerging leaders. This has been a major cause of deepening friction in the Lagos State APC.

National Daily investigation further revealed that beside consolidating the hegemony of the APC in Lagos State, several party leaders are using the council polls to position their constituencies for the 2023 general elections. Local government officials are important sources of delegates to the state congress where candidates for state and federal elections are nominated.

Moreover, some desperate aspirants are marketing themselves or being marketed by their principals with the name of the APC national leader, Tinubu, who had earlier declared that he has not anointed any candidate. The battle has been more fierce between emerging godfathers than between the aspirants for the APC tickets in the 20 local governments and 37 LCDAs.

In Ifako/Ijaye Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Usman Akambi Hamzat, younger brother of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Babafemi Hamzat, is who is currently the vice chairman of the LCDA, is widely perceived to be enjoying the support of Alausa, the Government House, for the chairmanship race. However, he has a female aspirant, Engr. Wuraola Atinuke Agbaje-Owolabi, among others, to contend with. Wuraola is also gaining wide populist support as APC members in the LCDA are showing determination to elect the first female Chairman in the LCDA.

Ifako/Ijaye LCDA is one of the councils APC members are agitating the emerging dynasty built out of the party; in this case the deputy governor sponsoring his brother towards turning Lagos State government into family enterprise.

Ojodu LCDA is another zone of political warfare over the emerging dynasty in the state party.

A former deputy governorship candidate in Kogi State, and lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, James Abiodun Faleke, is vehemently challenging Cardinal James Odunmbaku – Baba Eto – in

Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) for imposing his son, David Odunmbaku, for the chairman of the LCDA. Odunmbaku’s son is currently the incumbent Council Secretary of the Ojodu LCDA.

Faleke, a former Chairman of Ojodu LCDA for two tenures, in the power tussle,  is sponsoring  a female chairmanship  aspirant, Alhaja Funmi Layeni.
Faleke was said to have declared that “they cannot serve the father and also serve the son”, in the party in Ojodu LCDA.
Odunmbaku had insisted that having sponsored other people in elections in Lagos State, the time has come for him to sponsor his son.

The APC leader in Lagos State and member of the GAC, was cited to have declared: “I chose my son at the very last. You know I have been sponsoring other people with all my strength, politically and financially with the permission and blessing of Asiwaju Tinubu, putting people in respective positions in politics, ministries, local government administration, but I decided to sponsor my child in the final analysis, and not without the blessing of Asiwaju.”

Faleke was identified as one of the people that benefited from Odunmbaku’s election sponsorship.

Furthermore, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, APC leader in Lagos Central Senatorial District, a member of the GAC, is also facing the political heat in Lagos Island Local Government Area over the imposition of his son, Adetoyese Olusi, an incumbent chairman, for a second tenure.

The emerging Olusi dynasty, like others in Ojodu and Ifako/Ijaye LCDA, is receiving sufficient resistance and opposition.

another aspirant for the chairman, Prince Taorid Adewale Ojora, is giving the emerging Olusi political dynasty a good fight for the APC ticket in Lagos Island LG. Adewale Ojora, according to party sources, is developing rising populism profile in the local government. he was said to have turned down overtures  from APC leaders to step down for Olusi’s son, insisting on contesting the party’s primaries.

Two aspirants, Incumbent Vice Chairman, Suleiman Yusuf, and Idris Aregbe, current APC Youth Organising Secretary in Lagos, are deploying their political arsenal to secure the party ticket for the chairmanship election in Surulere Local Government.

Party revealed that Idris Aregbe is being supported by the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. On the other divide, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other party leaders in the local government were identified to be supporting Yusuf.

There was innuendo that Speaker Gbajabiamila is intending to be Governor of Lagos State in 2023.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was also said to be supporting Aregbe in addition to the support from Tinubu for the APC ticket.

However, Speaker  Gbajabiamila was said to be influencing political decisions in Surulere local government.

Several other party leaders in the state are not left out of the political inferno over the tussles for the APC tickets for the local government election.
meanwhile, some APC leaders were said to have last week held a closed-door meeting at Tinubu’s home in Lagos. The meeting was said to be attended by Tinubu, the convener; Gbajabiamila, Sanwo-Olu, as well as other APC leader in the GAC.
Tinubu had after the meeting on Sunday refuted reports that he has endorsed any candidate for the party primaries.