APC jittery over imminent defeat in Lagos

Despite the loss in Ekiti State governorship election, APC leaders have maintained that the PDP is not a threat in Lagos. Do you agree?

APC is already jittery because they know that they will lose in Lagos just the way they lost in Ekiti. No emergency surgical operation can save them from defeat. They will go the way of Ekiti APC. Just as we warned Governor Kayode Fayemi, we have been shouting for over seven years that Governor Babatunde Fashola’s government is too elitist and he has not changed. In fact, it has become worse.

What’s your opinion on how Lagos APC has been reacting to the outcome of the Ekiti election?

Our attention was drawn to a meeting recently convened by Fashola which was held at the State House, Marina, between the governor and the 57 vice-chairmen of the Lagos councils, wherein the governor berated Ekiti indigenes who had voluntarily expressed their choice by voting for the PDP’s candidate, Ayodele Fayose, over the APC’s candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Governor Fashola also took a swipe at the nation’s democracy, describing it as worrisome. According to him, voters were induced with money and rice to vote against their conscience. First, Fashola accused Ekiti indigenes and electorates of indignity, describing them as a people who collected money and rice to vote for PDP instead of voting APC. This is in sharp contrast to election observers’ reports which rated the Ekiti election process and voting as voluntary, free and fair. It is our take that Fashola’s unprovoked vituperations and abuses on the Ekiti electorate has further shown that the governor is an individual who regards every other person as a nonentity. If similar attacks on Ndigbo and the Hausa were mistakes, this present attack against his own kindred cannot be excused. What morality does Fashola have to say people were given money to vote for the PDP in Ekiti, when he knows that they are the ones that started this ‘jeun soke’ kind of politics? He conducted the worst local government election ever conducted in the country. Why would he insult Ekiti people saying they chose to collect money and rice over Fayemi’s achievement? My question is what achievements? I was in Ekiti, I didn’t see any clear thing that Fayemi did. Fayose said the stadium they used to campaign, he refurbished it; the biggest market, which people named Fayose market, he built it. Did Fayemi build any school or university? Maybe Fashola was talking about the type of performance we have in Lagos, where everything is by concessionaire, with high debt profile.

As a state governor, don’t you think Fashola has the right to comment on developments in Nigeria’s democracy?

In 2007, Fashola was imposed undemocratically on his party by his godfather, Bola Tinubu. The incidence led to the defection of 13 governorship aspirants and other party chiefs. It was expected that Fashola would consequently lose the governorship election, but Tinubu massively sponsored the rigging in favour of Fashola, especially as the PDP hopeful was already gruesomely murdered at the twilight of the election. Lagosians are still baffled by the impositions of his wife, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, and Senator Gbenga Ashafa on the APC. He also imposed his daughter as Iyaloja over more senior and older market women. In the area of performance, Fashola is also the only governor who gets arrogant in service to humanity. This is exemplified on issues of low cost housing, education, transportation, human rights in the state. Fashola is always quick to claim his government as best model for good governance. This is very laughable because Lagosians know well that Fashola is only a mediocre and propagandist governor. We challenge Fashola to a media tour of his acclaimed developmental projects with facts and figures.

But in what way would the Ekiti victory help PDP in Lagos?

The victory of PDP in Ekiti State is an added advantage for the PDP in Lagos State, which is already set to win the governorship election in 2015. Already people are disenchanted with the APC-led government in Lagos State. I’m certain that most Lagosians would vote the APC out, and this time we would make our votes count. With the outcome of the Ekiti election, we are happy that people have started looking at real issues rather than propaganda and falsehood. Even if we had not won Ekiti, we would still win in Lagos because it is the surest state for the PDP to win now. The APC is currently at its lowest ebb in terms of acceptance in Lagos State.

What role is the national leadership of the party playing in the bid to win Lagos State?

Now, we have a game-changer in the person of our national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. First is that the game-changer, as we now call him, has promised free and fair primaries across board. And with the calibre of aspirants that we have, many of whom are at the peak of their professional callings, we will have a rancour-free primary. Once we have a candidate that emerges through a free and fair primary election, we are sure of victory. It’s not that the Federal Government will give us money or campaign for us. We are happy that the belief that Lagos PDP can win Lagos is now known to the President. We are certain that they will give us the kind of support we need. We want them to come to Lagos and see it as part of the country that can be won by any party; not the old mentality where Lagos is literarily conceded to the APC. We also want to warn those close to the Presidency, who are PDP in Abuja and APC in Lagos, to steer clear from Lagos politics. They misrepresent our capability to the Presidency and the national headquarters of the PDP.