Progressives Congress, APC, the Lagos State chapter
of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is shopping
for a credible candidate that will slug it out with
whoever is presented by the APC for the February
2015 governorship election.
Incumbent governor, Mr Raji Fashola, (SAN), will
not be eligible to contest as he is running out his
second term.
A major move within the PDP is the urge to close
ranks among members. This, it seems, yielded a
positive result penultimate week as two chieftains of
the party in the state, former Minister of Works ,
Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, and former Deputy
National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode
George, reunited.
Ogunlewe, who led his political group, 'Global
Mandate' to George's Ikoyi Lagos office, declared his
loyalty to the leadership of George.
Ogunlewe, on the occasion, explained that that he
had been a childhood friend of George and that the
problem between them had been caused by external
forces.
He said he respects the leadership of George and that
George remained the only PDP leader in Lagos and
in the South-West.
"There is going to be only one PDP leader in Lagos
State, and that leader is George," Ogunlewe affirmed.
He said the new-found union between him and
George had brought unity to Lagos PDP, adding that
there won't be any feud again.
George, in his response, said he was short of words;
that with the reunion, the journey to Alausa in 2015
had begun.
He called on the party members to unite in the quest
to take over the state from the APC, adding that no
one outside the state would help them to win the
election.
"The only way out of the political 'ebola' in the state
since 1989 is for everyone in Lagos to unite, and that
journey has started with the new union between me
and Ogunlewe. The journey has started, and God the
Almighty will give us the grace," George declared.
It would be recalled that since the inception of
democracy in 1999, the PDP has tried in vain to win
the Lagos State governorship election, though it has
pockets of win in some local government areas of the
state.
But the leadership of the party believes the 2015
election will be a different ball game. This optimism
is buoyed by the victory of PDP in Ekiti State, where
its candidate, Mr Ayodele Fayose, defeated the
incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
As of now, the party according to its state chairman,
Captain Tunji Shelle, is determined to field a credible
candidate.
"We are looking for somebody who has integrity and
depth; somebody who is consistent and sensitive to
the yearnings of the people. We shall ensure that our
candidate is focused, has pedigree and integrity; that
he has a good background that can sustain the
economy of the state without mortgaging the interest
of the common people.
"Somebody who will be a team player, appreciate and
accommodate the contributions of his advisers and
commissioners. We have not decided yet on the
governorship race, but we shall put some of the
contenders to test so as to ensure that all these
qualities are in our candidate for the 2015 polls", he
emphasised.
However, several governorship aspirants have come
out openly to declare their interest as their posters
have flooded the major streets in the state. They
include Mr Jimi Agbaje, Babatunde Gbadamosi,
Musliu Obanikoro, Adedeji Doherty, Segun
Ogundimu, Owolabi Salis and Dr Ade Dosunmu.
Their chances:
Jimi Agbaje
Agbaje recently joined the PDP and he is said to
have been assured of picking the party ticket by the
top hierarchy of the party before he moved in. An
Afenifere chieftain, Agbaje carried the flag of the
Democratic People's Alliance, DPA , in the 2007
governorship race after he annoyingly left the Action
Congress, AC, when the party picked Fashola as its
governorship candidate. He eventually lost the
election but ran an impressive campaign.
A credible politician, Agbaje is believed to have
financial strength to run for the governorship race.
Aside from his rich friends, his brother Segun
Agbaje, is also the current managing director of the
Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB.
A pharmacist, political pundits believe that the
Obafemi Awolowo University Ile- Ife graduate, if
chosen as the PDP candidate, would be able to match
whoever is presented as candidate by the APC.
Babatunde Gbadamosi
He was the first to make his intention of occupying
the Alausa Governor's Office known in the PDP. An
entrepreneur, tax and property consultant, he is also
a known social commentator. Gbadamosi returned to
Nigeria from New York a few years ago. Aside from
his sound professional background, he is believed
not to have a solid structure to win the party's
primaries much less competing favourably in the
governorship election.
Musliu Obanikoro
The current Minister of State for Defence, Obanikoro,
is seen as one politician that can give the APC a run
for its money in Lagos State. An experienced
politician, Koro as he is popularly called in political
circles, remains the most formidable and politically
experienced of all the aspirants. He displayed high
level of intelligence and huge resources during his
campaign for the governorship of the state in 2007.
He is a senator, ex-commissioner for Home Affairs
and Culture as well as former chairman, Lagos
Island Local Government. He is also former High
Commissioner to Ghana and chairman of the
National Industrial Training Fund.
Ade Dosunmu
Dr Dosunmu was the PDP candidate in the 2011
gubernatorial election, which he lost to the
incumbent governor, Fashola. Since he lost that
election, not much has been heard of him, except his
posters for the 2015 race now in the streets of Lagos.
He holds a doctorate in Administration.
Dosunmu, former Director General/ Chief Executive
Officer, Nigerian Maritime Administration and
Safety Agency, NIMASA, is one of the front runners,
according to a source within the party.
Adedeji Doherty
Doherty had twice tried to be the governor of the state
under the PDP platform, in 2003 and 2007, but could
not go past the party's primaries.
He is currently the Acting National Vice Chairman
(South-West) of the party.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in comments are
those of the comment writers alone and does not
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