…Sanwo-Olu Lobbies Party Leaders For Second Term

…As Gbajabiamila, Hamzat, Ayinde, Others Eye Coveted Job

…I Will Be Sworn In As Lagos Gov Come May 29, 2023, Jandor Boasts

With just over a year to the 2023 governorship elections, the battle for the top job in Lagos State has already begun, as political gladiators within the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) are already gearing up to get the nod of party leaders and supporters.

Thepledge findings reveal that while the incumbent governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is doing everything possible to convince the powers-that-be to grant him a right of first refusal, there are plots and schemes by some forces within the APC and even his government to replace him with another candidate.

Presently, reliable sources within the fold of the party informed our correspondent that Sanwo-Olu might face an uphill task on the road to earning a second term ticket as several eyes are also on the prowl to upstage him.

                                                                                                                           Tayo Ayinde

Reports are rife in some quarters that Sanwo-Olu consented to a gentleman agreement with the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) headed by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to go for only one term in order to complete the second term of former governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.

An aide to the governor, who preferred not to be mentioned, said even though Sanwo-Olu might not indisposed to second term, he was not worried about getting the ticket, but was firmly focused on delivering on his campaign promises within the first four years of his administration.

The aide said, “The governor keeps telling those within his close circle that he is not worried about the current permutations on whether he will get a second term ticket or not, he is focused on delivering on his present mandate and that is what he is doing on a daily basis. Besides, even if the question of a second term should be on the table, it will be about performance and he is very vast and experienced to know that it is his scorecard that will speak for him.”

But Sanwo-Olu’s recent trip to the United Kingdom to visit Tinubu was seen as a strategic move to confer with the party leader, whose word continues to hold sway on who gets what and when since 1999.

Close observers of the political landscape in Lagos also believe that Sanwo-Olu is doing everything possible to be seen and perceived to be loyal to the party leaders and has continued to pay obeisance and play safe with decisions and policymaking to avert any likelihood of what happened to his predecessor befalling him.

                                                                                                                  Olajide Adediran (Jandor)

So far, four names have come up as top contenders for the Lagos governorship race, including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu’s Chief of Staff, Tayo Ayinde and the State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola.

Though the Speaker is yet to speak publicly on nursing any ambition to succeed Sanwo-Olu, sources close to him allude to the fact that having served four years as Speaker of the Green Chambers which he had longed craved, he wants to come back home to become the Lagos helmsman come 2023.

“The Speaker surely fancies the opportunity to become governor of Lagos and will take every opportunity presented to him. There are consultations ongoing and with time it will unfold. 2023 is still about a year and a few months away, the Speaker like other aspirants who have their eyes on the seat are keeping their cards close to their chest,” the source said.

For the Deputy Governor, settling to play second fiddle to Sanwo-Olu meant that for the second time in a row he had to jettison his ambition to become Lagos Governor.

In 2015, the odds were firmly against him because the party apparatchik already settled for Akinwunmi Ambode as successor to Babatunde Fashola (who had intended to install Hamzat as his preferred successor).

The same scenario was about to be replicated in 2019 before Hamzat opted to be Sanwo-Olu’s deputy, a move that political observers say was plotted to stop Ambode’s second term by all means.

Sources however told Thepledge that Hamzat, still has his eyes on the plum job and his body language already proves that he covets the seat.

The source alluded to Hamzat’s role prior to the July 25 local government elections in the State, where he used his position as Chairman of the Local Government Election Committee to allegedly install about four council chairmen against all odds.

“Hamzat has not hidden his desire to become governor of Lagos state someday and one of the reasons he accepted the position of deputy governor to Sanwo-Olu is because he needs to be close to the decision-makers to lobby for the position. We all saw how he took advantage of his position as the head of the local government election committee to strategically place his loyalists as chairmen and he got away with it,” the party source said.

Sanwo-Olu’s Chief of Staff, Tayo Ayinde is also said to be interested in the top job. In 2015, Ayinde had tried his luck to succeed Fashola, but like other aspirants, he was left disappointed as the party had settled for Ambode. Ayinde, a former Chief Security Detail to Tinubu, is well vast in the politics and is leaving no stone unturned to prep himself for the top seat and fight for his chance.

A source within his office confirmed to Thepledge that he has his eyes fixed on taking over from Sanwo-Olu.

“He (Ayinde) is very hopeful that this time he will become governor. He is in the good books of the national leader and knows how things run in the party. If the race is thrown open, trust him to do everything within his powers to get the ticket,” the source said.

Another name that has been variously mentioned is that of Hakeem Muri-Okunola, the current Lagos State Head of Service. Apparently the youngest of all the likely aspirants, Hakeem, according to sources might be Tinubu’s joker for the 2023 governorship race in Lagos.

Sources close to him suggest that Muri-Okunola will wait to get his chance and may not throw his hat into the race except as a consensus candidate, or if he gets the nod of Tinubu who has not over the years hidden his love for him.

“The HOS is not going to rush or jump the gun. He is young, has time, age and experience on his side, so he will sit from the rear and observe things as they unfold. But right now he is focused on his job as the number one civil servant in Lagos. Going by his age, he is guaranteed another 11 years in the saddle as the HOS, so until he is sure to get the ticket as Governor, he is not likely to test the waters,” a source said.

But another aspirant who many see as a wild card likely to upset the apple cart is Olajide Adediran, convener of Lagos4Lagos, a fast-rising political movement within the fold of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

Adediran, fondly called ‘Jandor’ by his numerous followers, has been talking tough about the 2023 governorship race and his intentions to challenge the status quo in the State.

He told Thepledge in an exclusive interview that he will cause a major upset in the governorship race in the State and emerge as the next governor come 2023.

“We are not in Lagos4Lagos to back anybody, as a matter of fact, we are in Lagos4Lagos to change the status quo and the incumbent (Sanwo-Olu) is part of that status quo. Every other person in that government is part of the status quo. We want to change the entire system that has held Lagos back for the past 21 years. We are embarking on a total cleansing; we would have a Lagos that will work for everybody living in Lagos or earning in Lagos. That is what Lagos4Lagos is all about.

“I want to return that wealth of Lagos to Lagos. We will return power back to Lagos. There is no ambiguity to what we stand for. We want to take over the executive power in Lagos State and return it back to the people of Lagos. Over the years, what we do is to assist the status-quo to have his way, but this time, we are down-tooling and we are converting that effort to ourselves. So we are running in 2023 and we believe that we are going to be declared winner and sworn in on May 29”, Adediran said.