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Lagos guber: Deft moves against Ambode intensify

Ezekiel Johnson
Ezekiel Johnson
Lagos guber: Deft moves against Ambode intensify
Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat

Bids to send Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, packing intensified on Saturday with different deft moves aimed at rendering him impotent at the All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries now scheduled to hold on Monday.

Ahead of the election where the candidate of the party would be picked for the 2019 governorship elections, two different “last minutes” move were made.

The first was the stepping down of one of the two opponents against him, stepping down for the other while the other step is the withdrawal of support by Lagos State legislators.

Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, stepped down for Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Sanwo-Olu is considered to be enjoying the support of the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu against Ambode.

Tinubu is opposed to the second term bid of Ambode following a disagreement between the two of them.

A number of leaders of the party and other members are also opposed to Ambode’s re-election bid owing to alleged marginalization in the past three years.

The stepping down is bound to increase the support for Sanwo-Olu against Ambode.

Speaking on his decision, Hamzat said: “After due consultation with my numerous supporters and in deference to the wise counsel of those I consider my political mentors, I resolved to step down from the governorship race.

“Apart from the fact that I can vouch for his personal integrity, great humility and extraordinary intelligence, Sanwo-Olu is someone I have had close interaction with in the past.

“We have worked closely with Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was then the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Lagos State.

“Haven been part and parcel of the formulation and execution of various policies and programmes that transformed Lagos right from former governors Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola’s administrations, I strongly believe that Sanwo-Olu is equally rooted to fly our party’s flag in the 2019 elections.

“I have no doubt that he is well placed and equipped to take Lagos to greater height, hence my stepping down for him.”

In the second damning move, 36 legislators out of the 40 in the House of Assembly have declared their support for Sanwo-Olu against Ambode.

Their decision was announced on Saturday by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Adefunmilayo Tejuoso.

The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, was in the fore-front of the campaign against Ambode.

Obasa led other lawmakers to sign the decision to support Sanwo-Olu.

With the two daring moves, Ambode’s fate becomes very uncertain as the primary is getting nearer.

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