Although he is yet to win the governorship election in Lagos State, nor has he been sworn in as the governor of the state, the Governor of Imo State and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has broken tradition by admitting Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos, into the forum ahead of the governorship election scheduled for April 11.

This rather unusual and over-presumptive action took place during the town hall meeting at Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area in Lagos State on Monday.

Okorocha said he was very sure of the victory of Ambode  in the forthcoming election, as the people of Lagos had already accepted him.

He said Ambode, a man with a track record of excellent performance who served for 27 years in Lagos as Auditor-General of local governments and later the Accountant-General of the state, was the best thing to happen to Lagos.

“He possesses the wealth of experience to take Lagos to the next level,” Okorocha said.

The governor charged all the Igbos in Lagos to cast their votes for Ambode, calling him a man of destiny who God has prepared for the season.

Noting that their lot will only be better under an APC-led government in Lagos, he urged them not to “sell their mandate for a mess of porridge like Esau.”

He later presented Ambode and his deputy governorship candidate, Dr. Adegbule to the people.

Ambode thanked Okorocha and all the people who attended the meeting.  He promised to complete at least 25 roads in Amuwo Odofin in his first four years.  The APC candidate also promised accelerated and all encompassing development for Lagos.

He recalled that his experience in the civil service had made him conversant with the workings of government.

Ambode promised a well-thought out and robust programme of action that would definitely take Lagos to the next level.

“Governance is a continuum and it takes a person with the skill and competence not to lose the momentum or even derail the train of progress,” he said.

He urged the people of Lagos to give him their mandate and that he would serve them with integrity and sincerity of purpose.