- The APC leader reportedly made it clear that he could not ask any aspirant to step down for Ambode
- He said the party has made things easier for all aspirants to canvass votes directly from party members through a direct primary election
- Governor Ambode reportedly sent associates to meet with APC national leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
As report of a rift between Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu continues to grow, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reportedly given the nod for all aspirants to participate in the Lagos primary election.
Governor Ambode has declared his intention to run for a second term as governor of the state but faces competition from two formidable aspirants, Femi Hamzat and Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Daily Sun reports that Ambode had deployed friends and associates to meet with Tinubu but the latter reportedly said he could not ask any aspirant to step down for him. The source said: “Asiwaju has made it clear to all of them (Ambode’s emissaries) that he’s a national leader and a father figure to all, he said there’s no way he can ask other aspirants to step down for the governor when the party has made things easier for all to canvass votes directly from party members who will in turn decide who their candidate will be in a direct primary election.”
Sanwo-Olu who seems to be the governor’s biggest competitor is reportedly bolstered by the support he has received.
He said: “The truth is that I not in Ambode’s shoes right now and what has been generated is a reflection of the fact that people have come to understand and know the kind of person that I am.
“A whole lot of us had to redefine the Lagos project. This is not the forum where I will begin to roll out to you the very many firsts that people think were done by some other individuals, but there were other people behind them that brought out those ideas, policies and implementation plan.
“There are so many firsts that I can begin to attribute to myself in the 11 years that I have had to do in the public service. Like I said, I have served three different governors and in three different ministries, served twice in the governor’s office, head the biggest agency of government. “So, the blueprint that we have been looking at since 1999 was put together by some of us. We are all friends, but it is politics.”
It was reported that Ambode, who recently bought the nomination form of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has reached out to the presidency to intervene in the alleged friction between him and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The report added that the governor was making the move as he battles to neutralise the Mandate Group, a political machine of his godfather.
Ambode is currently battling for reelection against two powerful aspirants, Obafemi Hamzat, believed to have the support of some politicians from Abuja, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, one of the appointees of the governor, who is said to have the backing of Tinubu and his Mandate Group.
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