After the initial threat of heading to court to challenge the processes that produced Akin Ambode as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the gubernatorial election in February next year, the eleven “aggrieved” aspirants may have backed down.
Although reason for the change of mind of the aspirant was not known at the time of going to press, fillers, however, hinted they may have decided to let the sleeping dog lie.
A pundit said the “aggrieved” aspirants may have taken a lesson from history and may have consulted with the likes of Femi Pedro, Tinubu’s former deputy governor who, in 2007, stood up against his boss, defected to the Labour Party (LP) to contest the governorship election against Fashola, Tinubu’s candidate, and lost.
If the signs are anything to go by, the 11 “aggrieved” aspirants may have been prevailed upon to accept their fate, stay within the party and work with Ambode, a former accountant-general of the state, for the success of APC in the 2015 elections.
The aspirants include Femi Hamzat, sitting commissioner for works and infrastructure, Olasupo Sasore, former attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Ganiyu Solomon, Senate minority leader, Leke Pitan, former commissioner for health, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, speaker of the state House of Assembly, Tola Kasali, also former health commissioner, Abayomi Sutton, Tobun-Agbesanwa, Tokunbo Wahab, Tayo Ayinde and Lanre Ope.
Ambode won the primaries held at the Onikan stadium, and which stretched into early morning of Friday by landslide, polling 3,735 votes of the total valid votes of 5,725 to defeat other aspirants. The results were announced by Peter Obada, a representative of the APC national primaries committee.
While voting was still going on, all the aspirants except Ambode, sensing the outcome would not be in their favour, had left the venue and were billed to address a conference at Southern Sun Hotel, Ikoyi. This never took place as it was rescheduled for Friday.
But arrangements were being made for the commencement of the briefing, consultations were said to be going on among top party stalwarts from within and outside Lagos to prevail on the “aggrieved” aspirants, who were all present, to accept the outcome of the primaries. The aspirants had threatened to legally challenge the processes that produced Ambode as the party flag bearer, alleging they were denied access to the delegate list. Over 5,000 delegates voted in the election.
At Protea Hotel, Maryland, where the rescheduled press briefing was to hold, the aspirants after more than one hour closed door meeting dropped the fight, announcing the cancellation of the briefing through their media aides.
“Sorry gentlemen, we are not the position to tell exactly why they (aspirants) can no longer address the press conference. We will get across to you another time,” said one of the aides.
It was however gathered that there was some division among the aspirants whether or not to go ahead with their earlier threat to head for the court. Some were said to have backed out thereby weakening position of others. One of the aspirants was said to have pointed to the consequence of a court action, that it would be an effort in futility to fight with Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party on whose back, Ambode is believed to have rode to emerge winner in the primaries.
Following Ambode in a distance second in the primaries was Hamzat, who polled 1,201 votes. Solomon came third with 272 votes while Ikuforji trailed behind after polling 182 votes. Shasore, believed to have been backed by outgoing Governor Babatunde Fashola came 5th, polling 121 votes and was followed by Pitan with 112 votes.
Kasali scored 69 votes; Tayo Ayinde, former chief details to Bola Tinubu secured 17 votes; Adekunle Idris, 9 votes and Tokunbo Wahab, 7 votes. Tokunbo Tobun-Agbesanwa, Abayomi Sutton and Lanre Ope had no votes in the governorship primaries.
JOSHUA BASSEY
