Lagos’ ‘progressive politics’:  Intrigues of banning, unbanning justice forum, mandate group

Ahead of next year’s local council elections in Lagos State, the two major political groups within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have rekindled the rivalry that informed the party leadership to ban them in 2020, as they strategise to dislodge each other from the control of the party’s structure at the grassroots, GBENGA SALAU writes.

Less than four years after the two major political groups – Justice Forum and Mandate Movement Group – within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State were banned, the two groups have bounced back with renewed strength. Ironically, those who formed the nucleus of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) that banned the groups in 2020 are the ones spearheading the return of the groups. But the development, it was gathered, is principally about the quest for who controls the party and its structure ahead of the 2025 local council elections and the 2027 general election.

Specifically, in June 2020, in the build up to the 2023 general election, the two groups were banned by the GAC following claims that they were dividing the party rather than uniting it. But it was not the first time the political groups were banned.

In 2007, when the state was governed by Action Congress (AC), which metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that later merged with other parties to form the APC,  the party informed leaders and members to quit groups within its fold, including the Justice Forum and the Mandate Group. They were told to see themselves as party members only, with complete loyalty to the party and not to sub-groups.  Then leaders of the groups were asked to sign the resolutions reached on the matter in the bid to enforce it.

But it did not take long before the major groups bounced back. As preparations for the conduct of the 2008 local council elections peaked, aspirants looking to outwit one another re-mobilised the groups, mainly Justice Forum and Mandate Group.

So, even after the 2020 ban, many observers within the party argued that the groups were operating subtly and that the quest for dominance over one another, which actually led to their disbandment, was still the order of the day.

Although the Justice Forum was the first group within the party, as its formation dates back to the struggle for restoration of democracy, the Mandate Group is said to be a product of necessity to drive the election victory of Bola Tinubu as governor of Lagos State in 2003.

It was gathered that Afenifere, which was the dominant socio-political group in the South West, fell out with Tinubu in the build up to the 2003 governorship elections.  As a result, major power brokers within Afenifere were not willing to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, leading to the formation of the Mandate Group by Rauf Aregbesola.

Another version claimed that the Mandate Group was birthed to advance Tinubu’s interest in the governorship race in the build up to the 1999 general election within the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD).

On the other hand, it was said that following the annulment of the June 12 election, a group of progressives and pro-democracy political figures met to establish the Justice Forum. The sole objective of that forum was to canvass for public support to reverse the annulment of the election and to have Nigeria recognise and implement the results of that election. The historic meeting, it was gathered, took place in the home of the late Alhaji Obafemi Hamzat in Ogba, Lagos. Prominent and active at the meeting were Alhaji Hamzat, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Otunba Alebiosu, Otunba Dele Ajomale, Bashorun Alabi-Macfor, Alhaji Aro Lambo, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, the late Senator Sikiru Shitta-Bey and his brother, the late Alhaji Rasheed Shitta-Bey, among others.

They resolved to mobilise all relevant associations, including influential market women’s groups through the late Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, to protest the unlawful cancellation of the election.  Thus, the Justice Forum was the fulcrum of pro-democratic activism in Lagos.

Then on June 8, 1998, the head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, suddenly died. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar took over as head of state. Extending the olive branch to all pro-democracy activists, Abubakar promulgated a universal pardon, allowing those in exile to return home without fear of military retribution.

Abubakar announced a one-year transition programme culminating in elections and a handover to a civilian government. Given the false promises by past military regimes, a debate within the pro-democracy community ensued, particularly within the Justice Forum. The debate was on whether the group should participate in the transition programme or not. In the end, some chose not to take part while the Justice Forum elected to participate. As such, the late Senator Shitta-Bey, the late Senator Wahab Dosunmu, Tinubu, etc showed interest in the Lagos governorship seat. With Afenifere playing a critical role in that election, Tinubu emerged as governor of Lagos.

Of note is that while some party faithful said the Justice Forum was the think-tank for the election in terms of ideas, others argued that the Mandate Group was the political enforcer during the election.

It was gathered that after Tinubu was sworn-in, the Mandate Group became the dominant political group, as its members got the juiciest positions within the party to the detriment of the Justice Forum. It was also said that members of the Justice Forum were further dealt with during the second term of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola for supporting Fashola’s second term bid against the opposition of some power brokers within the party.

It was learnt that the divide between the two groups was the reason both went separate ways in the 2015 election with the Justice Forum preferring the present deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, as its choice while the Mandate Group supported Akinwunmi Ambode. The Justice Forum, however, did not scale through with the plot and as a result, it was further alienated from the power source with many of them becoming the Abuja boys.

With the Mandate Group having the heart and ears of Tinubu, it further consolidated its grip on the party structures including getting juicy appointments under the Ambode administration. Along the line, the group was said to be asking for more, including wanting the governor to permanently be subservient to its leaders considering the role they played in his emergence as governor. That created some lacuna with the governor.

It was therefore not surprising that members of both the Justice Forum and Mandate Group vehemently opposed the second term bid of Ambode and they eventually kicked him out as he failed to get the party’s ticket. Unlike Fashola who had the Justice Forum behind him during his second term bid, Ambode had no major political group within the party to lean on.

It was the alliance that brought the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat ticket in 2019. It was learnt that since the emergence of the Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat ticket, the Mandate Group started losing its grip and dominance in the party. Its major leader was tactically excommunicated from Lagos while the supposed deputy leader died from COVID-19 infection. So, at a point, the Mandate Group became leaderless, which had implications on the unity and strength of the group.

Although the Mandate Group got the slot of the Chief of Staff to the governor under the Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat ticket, its influence in the party has diminished drastically, especially considering the fact that the GAC, which became the apex decision making body in the party, is dominated by members of the Justice Forum and is even headed by a member of the forum.

However, not minding the ban pronounced in 2020, the two groups rekindled their battle for supremacy a few days ago when they organised separate inter-faith prayer sessions for President Bola Tinubu in commemoration of his 72nd birthday in Lagos. This is against the wish of the celebrant, who said no ceremonies should be held for him, advising that the money for such activities should rather be donated to the less privileged in society considering the harsh economy.

Both caucuses indirectly threw jabs at each other at their events, claiming to be the dominant and overarching group within the Lagos APC. In defiance to Tinubu’s position about celebrating his birthday this year, the first to hold a prayer session was the Mandate Group, with Cardinal James Odunmbaku (Baba Eto) as the leader. He is also a member of the GAC.

The group held its prayer session at Oduduwa Way, in the GRA area of Ikeja. Other strong members of the Mandate Group, who attended the programme physically or sent in representations, were the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; the Chief of Staff to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mr. Tayo Ayinde; former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe; Senator Ganiyu Solomon; the state party Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi and other notable Lagos APC bigwigs.

Addressing the gathering, Obasa implored members of the group to start holding meetings twice a month after Ramadan. He further admonished them to openly declare their support for the Mandate Group in their various locations across the state.

The speaker maintained that the group was loyal to the president, insisting that the group respects the party.“We respect our party leadership. We are APC members. We belong to Tinubu and we are guided by his political philosophy. If our party chairman summons us today, we will go because we respect the state chairman. So, don’t be scared to openly say you are members of the Mandate Group,” Obasa insisted.

On his part, Ayinde stated that the Mandate Group would continue to stand by the president, noting that Tinubu had shown capacity and competence. He further said the prayer session was necessary to celebrate Tinubu’s birthday as well as pray for his continuous success in the running of the country’s affairs.

Ayinde expressed optimism that Tinubu would provide the strong foundation for the country’s development and that his successor after eight years would continue from there.

Also speaking at the event, Odunmbaku told the participants not to be scared to openly declare their support for the Mandate Group, saying they would end up becoming beneficiaries of the group’s success stories.

He claimed that the group has the backing of major stakeholders within Lagos APC, enjoining members not to be swayed by propaganda.  Similarly, the Justice Forum led by House of Representatives member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency and secretary of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, also held its own prayers for Tinubu with the strong backing of Deputy Governor Hamzat, Chairman of the GAC and close ally of President Tinubu, Prince Tajudeen Olusi; former Lagos APC Chairman and Commissioner under Tinubu in 1999, Otunba Henry Ajomale; former deputy governors, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, Mrs. Joke Orelope, Mrs. Sarah Sosan; GAC member and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Bashorun; GAC member, Otunba Bushira Alebiosu; former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, among others.

The group held its prayer at Agidingbi, Ikeja, with the position that they cannot be cowed to submission in the party. Speaking, Olusi argued that the group was the first to make inroads into the party that transformed into Lagos APC.He also maintained that it was the political group that produced Asiwaju Tinubu as governor in 1999.

Olusi added that those who control the Lagos APC were majorly in the Justice Forum, saying it is a group that gives equal opportunities for all. On the strength of the group, he talked glowingly about the spread of its membership at the grassroots level across the state. He, therefore, asked members to continue to hold their meetings.

He said: “Some people in our party do not know the history of Lagos APC. Those who know decided to feign ignorance, which is their own problem. Justice Forum is the oldest and first caucus in Lagos APC. We dominate the party both at the state level and the local council level. Any other group comes after us.

“You all should continue to hold your meetings in your various local councils. For us to be able to control the crowd at this event, we only asked each local council to come with 50 members and you all can see how the crowd is,” said Olusi.

Some insiders alleged that there were efforts in the past, especially by Tinubu, to unify and reconcile the two groups but it did not yield fruit. They claimed the GAC was one of such efforts, as it was constituted as an important party mechanism to deliberate on important party matters, which have to be decided by dialogue and compromise, not by fiat. Hence, the GAC members were drawn from leading members of both the Justice Forum and the Mandate Group with the goal that the council would shun factional groupings and eliminate divisions within the party.

Unfortunately, members and leaders of the Justice Forum dominated the GAC and worked along its interests, a party member claimed. Speaking on the rivalry between the two groups in an interview with a national newspaper, Olusi said:

“Let me correct the impression that we hold grudges against anyone. The leader of the Mandate Group, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is my son and he used to give me my respect.

“Every member of the Mandate Group was part of the Justice Forum before and, as a matter of fact, we are the one that donated them to work with Tinubu under AD and they formed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation (BATCO), which was later renamed Mandate Group. It was true that myself, the late Oba Hamzat and the rest were not happy initially when they formed the Mandate Group, but the issue has since been resolved even before the death of the monarch.”

Efforts to get the new leaders of the two groups to comment on the development were not successful. When the phone number of Odunmbaku was called, he asked that a text message be sent, which was complied with. He responded by saying he would get back but never did as of press time.

Also, the phone line of Faleke was constantly busy. As a result, text messages were sent to him too but he has not replied as of press time. Similarly, a number of party members contacted to comment on the matter declined, saying they didn’t want to be caught speaking on a developing issue within the party that no one knows how it would eventually pan out.