By Akintola Lukmon
The legitimacy of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s victory at the Lagos State gubernatorial primary has been brought to question.
This follows the somewhat funny scenario that preceded the primary which was held on Thursday, May 26.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Olorunfemi Mustapha
Recall that days before the primary, there had been an allegation of a plot to disqualify one of the aspirants hoping to unseat Sanwo-Olu from office.
According to a statement signed by Engr. Bayo Aderibigbe on behalf of Mustapha4Lagos Agenda, a support group for the actualisation of the gubernatorial ambition of Olorunfemi Mustapha, a plot was hatched by the screening committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disqualify Mustapha, a former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy who was considered a strong threat to the incumbent governor.
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In the statement, the Head of Mustapha4Lagos Agenda, Bukola Ogundipe said; “There is this strong belief within the party that Tinubu is still interested in replacing Sanwoolu with Mustapha in 2023; the idea is that even if the Governor wins the primary, his name may still be substituted with that of another person hence the need to eliminate Mustapha at the level of screening so that he would stand no chance if the game gets to that. They know that Tinubu can’t use Oluwo, so he will be cleared but Mustapha is the target because he fits into the kind of person Tinubu wants,” part of the statement read.
Further, the statement alleged that the plot to get Mustapha screened out is being orchestrated from the camp of the incumbent Governor, adding that Sanwo-Olu had allegedly enlisted the support of some elements within the screening committee to perfect the plan.
Also, Ogundipe said the incumbent had identified Mustapha as the biggest threat to his reelection bid having realised that the Information Technology and Financial Systems expert is eminently qualified to take the state to the next level and enjoys the support of many Lagosians including the leadership of the party in the state.
“We have uncovered a plot to disqualify our aspirant from the race; they know that the only way they can stop Mustapha from getting the party ticket is to make sure he doesn’t participate in the primary. Let us forget about the noise they are making, he is the man to beat. We are very certain that their plot will not see the light of the day because Mustapha is clean and meets all the criteria required by the constitution of our party and the guidelines for the elections,” another portion of the statement read.
Hoping for a lasting solution, Ogundipe also stated that the candidate’s lawyers had met with the leadership of the APC in Abuja to make sure that the evil plot does not see the light of the day by stepping up and quashing the evil plan.
Interestingly, just days after the alarm was raised, the report that Mustapha and Olawale Oluwo both aspirants hoping to contest the election with Sanwo-Olu had been disqualified hit town raising questions about the possibility that there was some element of truth in the allegations made by the group. The situation also raised questions about the kind of democracy being practiced by APC.
While reacting to the development in a statement to www.theoctopusnews.com, the Abdul-Ahmed Olorunfemi Mustapha Campaign Organisation said that it had rejected the disqualification of Mustapha from contesting the primary.
According to the statement by the campaign organization, the disqualification did not follow due process and remained an assault on the fundamental human rights of Mustapha to vote and be voted for.
Signed by the Head of Media and Communication, Daniel Ajibade, the statement further said that it is worrisome that there was no official communication regarding the purported disqualification of Mustapha and it is more shocking for the aspirant to learn of the development at the venue of the primary.
Ajibade said that his principal was turned back at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Arena, the venue of the primary after officials told him he could not be accredited because he was not cleared by the screening committee of the APC for the exercise.
He emphasised that Mustapha went through the screening in Abuja and for more than two weeks the result of the exercise was not communicated to the aspirant only for him to learn of the disturbing development at the venue of the primary.
The group alleged that the disqualification was masterminded by the camp of one of the aspirants who is afraid of Mustapha but said that: “subversion of the rule of law and subjugation of the will of the people must not be allowed to stand.
“The Abdul-Ahmed Campaign Organisation vehemently condemns this unconstitutional act. We feel this is not the right way to play politics; Mustapha has the right to vie for the position of Governor in Lagos as guaranteed by law and any move to strip him of that right should be considered an affront to the constitution of Nigeria.
“Mustapha submitted himself to all the processes as required by the rules of the party and the constitution of this country. To the best of his ability, he meets the requirement as laid down in the guidelines but if the screening committee felt there were some areas he was found wanting which would not make them give him the clean bill of health, we think that too should be properly communicated to him and for every Nigerian and Lagosian to know instead of shrouding everything in secrecy.”
The campaign organization has now called for the cancellation of the exercise conducted at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Thursday, saying the outcome is not the reflection of the will of the majority of APC members in the state.
“We, therefore, call on the leadership of our great party to reverse this anomaly; we call for a fresh primary which will allow all aspirants to exercise their right and enthrone the will of the people and that of the vast majority of members of APC in the state,” the organization said.
Meanwhile, Governor Sanwo-Olu has been celebrating his victory at the primary. A statement credited to the Chief Press Secretary of the governor, Gboyega Akosile stated that Sanwo-Olu won the primary with 1,170 delegate votes.
Dedicating the victory to all party members, Sanwo-Olu described them as the main winners of the exercise, saying, “Having thanked all our party faithful, the bigger appreciation goes to all Lagosians irrespective of the side they lean. This victory is for all residents who have supported us on this journey we started four years ago. What we witnessed this evening is an affirmation that the good work we have been doing should continue.
“This is the assurance we are taking to the general elections and we will ensure that we don’t fail. With all sense of responsibility, there are still a lot more that Lagosians should be expecting from us across all facets of governance. The confidence reposed in us will not be betrayed. We pray that God gives us the energy to take Lagos to a level that will reflect the aspiration of all Lagosians.”
The governor also took to his Instagram page to react to his victory in the primary. He wrote:
”I am grateful to God, the distinguished delegates, and the leadership of the APC for the chance to continue the good work of governance that we have begun in our great state.
“With this resounding victory in the primary election, I am confident that we are united and ready to continue to be a beacon of hope and service to this great state.
“To the other contestants, I congratulate you for being a part of this very democratic process and invite you to join hands with me For a Greater Lagos.”
With his win, the governor becomes the party’s flag bearer in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Lagos State. However, one fact remains clear, there is a need for answers to some of the questions raised by Mustapha and his organisation. For instance, why didn’t the other aspirants get notified that they had been disqualified until the day of the primary?
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