The shape of things to come in the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) primaries has emerged with national leader of the party Senator Bola Tinubu ordering council chairmen in Lagos State to support his anointed candidate for the governorship race, Mr. Akin Ambode. A retired permanent secretary and auditor-general of the state, Ambode was billed to formally declare his intention to run for the governorship of the state Friday morning. Ahead of the event, a text message ordered all the council chairmen to “mobilise” 500 person each from the 57 councils.
At a conservative cost of N5000 per head, the cost of renting 28,500 persons for the few hours’ event is over N1.4 billion of Lagos tax payers’ money.
The SMS message, said to have been issued on Tinubu’s directive, read;
“Dear chairman, directives frm leadership that all chairmen MUST mobilise 500 people each frm there LG/LCDA to MR.AKIN AMBODE declaration to run as Governor of Lagos State under our great party (APC) @ Onikan stadium tomorrow 24/10/2014 by 10am.pls all chairmen MUST be in attendance. Regards”
We gathered that aside renting over 28,000 persons, moving 57 council chairmen and their aides to and from the venue, the MCs, musical groups, banners, refreshment, among other logistics, are expected to bring the cost of the event to at least N2.5 billion.
Tinubu’s relationship with Ambode reportedly began “long time ago”, but drew public attention in 2005 when the former, as governor, appointed the governorship aspirant Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance.
A few months later, in February, 2006, Tinubu asked Ambode to double as the Accountant-General of the state.
Ambode was said to have been particularly helpful to his boss when the then president Olusegun Obasanjo seized funds due the state in the wake of the controversy generated by Tinubu’s creation of 37 additional councils.
50-year old Ambode was also said to have particularly endeared himself to Tinubu by helping to increase internally generated revenue in Lagos State from a paltry N600 million to over N6 billion monthly.
Ambode’s candidacy however is not without controversy.
Ambode, a Christian, claims to be from Epe, in the eastern senatorial district.
Critics swear Ambode is from Ondo State, but was born in Epe, in 1963.
The aspirant had reportedly in past documents listed Ondo as his state of origin.
In 2012, Ambode made history as the first Permanent secretary in Nigerian history to voluntarily retire from service. However, there is the allegation that he was forced out by Governor Raji Fashola over allegations of fraud.
Fashola is said to be uncomfortable with Ambode’s relationship with Tinubu and his governorship ambition. He is believed to be backing his Commissioner for Works, Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat.
Today’s event, according to certain APC leaders in the state, “is a show by Tinubu to send a powerful to doubting Thomases that this is my anointed.”
Aside the late Sir Michael Otedola, whose tenure was terminated by General Sani Abacha’s coup of 1993, two men who have governed Lagos since 1999- Tinubu and Fashola- are Muslims.
Aside Ambode, all the major aspirants from Lagos East, an area favoured by zoning, -Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and Speaker of State Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.
