The likelihood of Lagos governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, securing the All Progressives Congress(APC) ticket to run for the second term as the man who will oversee the affairs of the state is stiil very much doubtful as the embattled governor is yet to be accepted by his political godfather, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu( JAGABAN) other party leaders in the state whom themessageinternational.blogspot.com learnt he is having varying degrees of running battles with.
According to a very reliable source, the situation has now gone out of hand for the governor; hence his likelihood of jettisoning the ticket. And this was compounded on Sunday, September 15, 2018 with official declaration by Babajide Sanwo-olu as Lagos governorship aspirant on the platform of APC which further confirmed that there is no automatic ticket for the incumbent governor.
This has, however, remained an item on the lips of many Lagosians, especially politicians, political watchers and social commentators in the state since the news broke.
The governor has reportedly been running from pillar to post to save the situation, especially seeking forgiveness from Tinubu who is being perceived as the script writer of. his travail. But all Ambode's efforts to get this achieved were said to have yielded no desired results so far as they're seen as medicines after death. However, Jagaban who was initially perceived by Ambode as major obstacle has smartly exhornorated himself of the ugly situation, advising the governor to mend the fence with other party leaders he offended.
However, the issue has become that of the more you look, the less you see as no one can really say if there can be any end in sight until September 26, 2018 when the party will be holding his governorship primary election across all the 57 local councils in the state. And now that the party big wigs from across all the local governments have adopted direct primary for the ticket, the battle becomes complicated for the accountant turned politician as many have started mobilising for Sanwo-olu at every local government on the order of the party leaders in every constituency in the state.
According to the source, many reasons have been attributed to the sleepless nights Ambode is going through at the moment apart from the rumoured contract conflict between himself and his godfather.
"I can tell you authoritatively that Ambode's second term is foreclosed. He should not continue bothering himself any more. No party leader is interested in his matter now. What next on the agenda of the party in the state is to bring in another candidate and that's no other person than Babajide Sanwo-olu who has gotten the backing of Asiwaju Tinubu. And there's no going back about that. So, everybody is waiting for the outcome of the primary election coming up on September 26. All I know is that if it were to be Tinubu alone Ambode offended, his case wouldn't have been that worse. But almost all the party leaders in the state. He's ruling the state as a military man. He has a flagrant disregard to those that put in power and gas stepped on many people's toes, numerous to mention.He had sacked a lot of people employed or promoted by his predecessor, Babatunde Raji Fashola and some of Tinubu's men.
" He started asserting authority fully in 2016 after he thought he had gotten all he wanted to rule the state at wiil. It's that same year he offended the party leaders and workers in the state who are Muslims when he singlehandedly cancelled sallah ram gifts, the legacy of Tinubu which was also upheld by Fashola throughout his two term-tenure as governor of the state. I learnt he cited recession in the country then as main reason he stopped the largess despite realizing over N30 b Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) the highest so far in the history of the state. This I heard was vehemently challenged by Tinubu, but Ambode remained deviant on the issue. He repeated same during Christmas and end of year gifts to workers and party leaders by cancelling distribution if bags of rice and other items as compensation for their loyalty for the year. The same Ambode fired the Chaplain Femi Taiwo of Christ The Light Chapel over non recognition of his wife, the first Lady if the state. Not only that, he forced the man and his family out of their quarters.
"As I speak, majority of civil servants don't want him back as governor because he has cancelled loan facility they all have been enjoying before he became the governor. Even, no ministry can embark on any project. All construction projects going on in the state are directly under him and they're being handled by his close allies, no party leader I benefitting anything from him. Even, mist of these projects are usually inflated in his favour.
"Also, ask all the law makers in the state, they will tell you they also don't want him any more. He has cancelled all the project proposals they gave him. Even, the local government chairmen who have been denied their statutory duties, will they ever support him? A lot like that, including the rubbish Cleaner Lagos Initiative he brought in to sack Tinubu's Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), chase away all its workers and terminate the activities of Private Sectors Participation (PSP) in the state waste management and disposal, replacing them with Visionscape being manned by his close pal, Niyi Makanjuola. Or do you also think Lagos residents are happpy, especially property owners over the unreasonable hike in the Land Use Charge(LUC)? So, Ambode's atrocities go on and on, and I don't think he can be allowed to rule the state once more. And if that happens, he will be the first governor to lose second term ticket in the state since 1999. Left to me, I don't pity him because he's self-centered."
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