I sense a
political war…
All seems not well within the Lagos State chapter of the All
Progressive Congress (APC) over the governorship primary won by former
accountant-general of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, the candidate endorsed by
the national leader of the party and former governor of the state, Bola Tinubu.
Ambode defeated 13 other aspirants, including the Speaker of
the State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji;
In an exercise that has been described as free, fair and
credible by the delegates, Ambode scored 3,735 votes to defeat his closest
challenger, Hamzat, who polled 1, 201 votes.
Feelers within the party suggest that Fashola may be waiting
for Tinubu and Ambode in the build-up to the general election, as he may choose
to withhold funds for the party to prosecute the election. If this happens, it
will further deepen the animosity between the godfather and his estranged
godson.
Read what insider source told Saturday Independent:
“Fashola’s candidate may have lost, but don’t forget the
governor holds the key to the wealth of the state. He may decide not to fund
the party in the forthcoming election and this may greatly affect Ambode’s
chances. Don’t forget the fact that the governor also has a strategic role to
play in the election, especially as regards security and INEC.
“Tinubu may have influence, but the fact remains that he is a
former governor and he currently holds no political office. Fashola has the
funds to spend. We can see him deploy it for Shasore especially in the areas of
posters and adverts. But we hope the party leadership will wade in so that the
war of attrition between the two men may not be a blessing for the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP),”
Similarly, a prominent Lagos seer and founder of Inri Evangelical
Spiritual Church, Primate Ayodele Elijah Babatunde, has warned thus:
“The Lagos APC has committed a blunder during their primary
that may cost them the general election, if care is not taken, except they seek
God’s favour.
“Not only did the party erred on the choice of candidate but
the leader of the party is racing against time in terms of political grip on
his followers. New leadership will emerge in the South West APC. I foresee
betrayers feeding fat on the party during the 2015 general election.
“There will be a lot of protest votes during the poll. The
leadership of APC should pray against sudden cloud hovering around the glory of
the party in Lagos that may make them lose to the opposition. Apart from that,
I could see Tinubu being betrayed and he would be shocked that he may lose
relevance.
“Tell him, (Tinubu) and ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo, that
they are in their last major political game. I pray that their stars will never
deem. It is for the leadership of APC to make restitution before it is too late
because I must be frank with you, the PDP is close to government house in Lagos
State now than before. If the APC wins, the party leaders should expect the
treatment they gave to the Afenifere leaders during Tinubu’s tenure as
governor.”
I agree
every political party is bound to face disagreements during and after primaries
but only a truly free and fair party elections can ensure true democracy
No comments:
Post a Comment