Lagos 2023: Sanwo-Olu battles LP, angry Youths

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has been working assiduously to overcome the challenges posed by the Labour Party (LP), since the outcome of the February 25 presidential election won by LP in Lagos State. The unprecedented defeat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos since 1999 sent a strong signal to the party in the preparations for the governorship and state assembly elections shifted from March 11 to March 18.

In addition to the LP victory in Lagos, is the challenge of youths resident in the state who have been mobilising to vote the LP in the governorship election and take over Lagos from the APC.

The youths are recalling the reminiscence of the #ENDSARS protest of 2020 and the shooting incident at Lekki Tollgate by the Nigerian Army on October 20, 2020, threatening that the elections are pay back time in the state. The youths declared: “we will never forget.”

Meanwhile, all the structures of governance in the state have been deployed to mobilise support for Sanwo-Olu in the governorship election. The various agencies, department, including contractors have been taking dates to move on streets, appealing to residents of the state to vote Sanwo-Olu for a second term.

Sanwo-Olu in lobbying Lagos voters, had ordered LASTMA to release all vehicles impounded for traffic offenses in the state to the owners without payment of fines or penalties. The V.I.O. was noticed to have also been withdrawn from the Lagos roads in the past weeks to give releif to vehicles owners in the state.

Other campaigners from the party structures argue for continuity to enable the governor complete the projects he has started.

There is, however, another side of the #ENDSARS incident which Sanwo-Olu is being considered to have made positive impact on victims. Besides compensation to direct victims of police brutality on the recommendation of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry, the governor intervened to compensate traders artisans whose shops were destroyed during the #ENDSARS protest across the state.

Governor Sanwo-Olu appointed a committee which registered traders whose shops were destroyed, made physical assessment of the damages, and made payments according to the claims to the victims without delay. Traders were financially empowered to return to their businesses without being weighed down by lost capital as soon as normalcy was restored in the state.

The beneficiaries of that intervention of Governor Sanwo-Olu have also joined forces in mobilising support for the governor for the election.

Meanwhile, the popularity of the LP candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has been rising as the youths continue to stand behind the LP.