Lagos State APC chapter poised for divisive vote on governorship candidate today as tension rises

MEMBERS of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are poised for a divisive showdown as the party decides at a convention later today on who its gubernatorial candidate will be in next year's elections amid heightened political tension.

In an unprecedented split within the party, the APC is divided into two bitter camps, with one faction backing incumbent governor Akinwunmi Ambode and another created by party leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is supporting challenger Babajide Sanwoolu. Despite repeated attempts to get the two factions to reconcile, the divisions widened over the weekend with Governor Ambode alleging that Mr Sanwoolu is unfit to be governor because he has mental health issues and was arrested in the US for spending fake dollars.

Issuing a swift rebuttal, the Sanwoolu camp denied the allegations and stated that the fact Governor Ambode made such baseless allegations shows he is unfit to remain as the chief executive of the state.  Yesterday, Tinubu loyalist and the majority leader in the Federal House of representatives Hon Femi Gbajabiamila even publicly decorated Mr Sanwoolu as the new incoming state governor at an elaborate ceremony.

Attempts by vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo to broker a settlement appear to have failed as he flew in from Abuja to meet with both camps but they appear hell-bent on a showdown. At a meeting in Lagos Yesterday, Professor Osinbajo warned the party of the dire consequences of denying Governor Ambode a second term, saying there was absolutely nothing to justify such move.

At a meeting of the Governors Advisory Council (GAC), the highest advisory body in the Lagos APC, Professor Osinbajo unequivocally told the party leaders to be mindful of their actions and not place personal interest above that of the masses who want the governor to continue in office beyond 2019. Professor Osinbajo told party leaders that he was asked by President Muhammadu Buhari to appeal to APC leader Asiwaju Tinubu and the party chieftains opposed to Governor Ambode’s second term bid to rescind the decision.

One party source said: “Yes, the vice president attended the GAC meeting that took place today and told the gathering that he had been sent in by the president for the second time to come and appeal to Asiwaju, particularly realising that they should stick to their best chances in Lagos for the 2019 elections. The vice president actually looked at them straight in the face and told them you assembly members here, you have endorsed Ambode before, GAC members, you have endorsed Ambode before, you Femi Gbajabiamila, you brought all your House of Representatives members to endorse Ambode, the whole world know that you have endorsed Ambode, what shall we tell the world now that Ambode has done wrong all of a sudden after all the endorsements that you have made to warrant your current position?

“The vice president queried them further that will it be enough to tell the whole world that it is for our own selfish interest that we are saying that we are not going to endorse Ambode? Is it because Ambode has not performed? Ambode has performed and everybody knows that he has performed.”

At the meeting, Asiwaju Tinubu was said to have responded that all politics was local and threatened that he was taking Mr Sanwoolu to the party’s secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba to raise his hand as the candidate of the party. However, he could not do so after realising that the party members were ready to call his bluff, so sent Senator Anthony Adefuye to make the announcement on behalf of the GAC.