Lagos 2019: Intrigues deepen as Sanwo-Olu says campaign is alive

A ruling All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant in Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday said his campaign activities are going as intended and he is set to make a formal declaration soon.

Sanwo-Olu also denied the ‘rumours’ that his rally to formally kick-off his campaign to unseat Ambode, who has been rumoured to be in the bad book of his political benefactor Bola Tinubu, has been called off.

“The Olusola Sanwoolu Campaign Organisation is on course. His formal declaration will happen shortly followed by his rally,” said Sanwo-Olu’s campaign Director General Tayo Ayinde in a statement.

“The Campaign Organisation remains focused on its objectives and will not be distracted by unfounded rumours and insinuations.”

This came after his rally scheduled to hold at the Blue Roof in the premises of Lagos Television (LTV) was reportedly called-off by an order from the National Leader of the APC Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Recall that, there has been controversy over the political future of the incumbent Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode after Sanwo-Olu and former Lagos State Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure, Obafemi Hamzat obtained nomination form to challenge Ambode in the APC primaries scheduled to hold on September 19.

Also, just after obtaining the nomination form, the Mandate Movement, a political group loyal to the APC national leader, promptly endorsed Sanwo-Olu, a former Commissioner for Establishment, Training & Pensions in the state to contest the 2019 governorship poll.

Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly summoned the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, to Abuja on Wednesday over the controversies.

A reliable source from the party told The Guardian that the APC Governors’ Forum urged Buhari to appeal to Tinubu not to disgrace one of their own.

Before the closed-door meeting between Tinubu and Buhari, the Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, national vice chairman of APC, South West, Chief Pius Akinyelure, and others were said to have expressed concern over the conflict and its effects on the party’s chances of winning the forthcoming governorship election.

Another source in the party disclosed that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was also making frantic efforts to intervene and had travelled to Lagos to meet the governor and Tinubu.

However, the state chairman of APC, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, told reporters on Wednesday that the party would be fair to the three aspirants seeking the governorship position.

He noted that the events in the Lagos chapter showed democracy in action. “You can’t trample on people’s right; you can’t stop anybody from expressing an intention to contest as stipulated in the constitution.”

All the three governorship aspirants are going to participate in the primary. If three people have taken forms, it means the party will decide whom it wants. APC is a disciplined party,” Balogun said.