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Tag: Akinwunmi Ambode

  • Ambode, APC win in Epe

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state recorded a convincing victory at the polling unit of its gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, at the elections held today in his Epe hometown.

    At the Unit 33, Ward A5 polling centre located in Ogunmodede Secondary school, Papa Epe, Ambode led a hoard of enfranchising Epe electorates to give the APC and its candidates a big win that saw them poll an average 60% of the votes at all levels.

    Out of a total 170 accredited voters in the booth, the APC Presidential ticket of General Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo amassed 97 votes as against the main opposition’s 71; APC Senatorial candidate for Lagos East, Senator Gbenga Ashafa polled 103 votes to defeat the People’s Democratic Party’s 66, and Wale Raji, APC candidate for the Epe Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives got 101 votes to cap off a sweeping victory.

  • Hausa/Fulani, Ndigbo, others endorse Ambode

    Hausa/Fulani, Ndigbo, others endorse Ambode

    Lagosians expect the dawn of a new era next month. Ahead of the governorship elections, indigenes and non-indigenes are mobilising support for the candidature of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC). A member of the Akin Ambode Campaign Group, Odunayo Akinsiju, examines the impact of the volunteer group in its engagement with ethnic nationalities in the Centre of Excellence.

    It is not so much of a walk in the park as it is a long, hard haul to the top with a man who looks set, perhaps destined, to becoming the next governor of Lagos State. I am talking about Akinwunmi Ambode, the 51-year-old chartered accountant who is contesting as the Lagos State governorship on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) come April 11, 2015.

    This is an account of a volunteer who had a ring-side view of this amiable candidate’s busy schedule last Saturday. And what a difference that day made in accentuating the point that this is a candidate who would leave no stone unturned in reaching out to every stakeholder in Lagos State with his message of continuity and sustainability. His body language and his remarks at each occasion revealed why he is the ideal candidate that is arguably the most qualified and better prepared at this period to continue with the legacy of successes that Lagos State has been witnessing in the past 15 years.

    The day started with the biggest revelation. The Igbos, contrary to insinuations, are indeed behind the candidacy of the APC candidates and are not averse to the type of progressive ideology that the ruling party in Lagos State preaches. And so the day began with a grand rally at Onikan Stadium, where a full house of professionals, elders, women, traders, youths and students – all of Igbo extraction and based in Lagos State – trooped out to unequivocally make their stand known: they were out to endorse the Buhari-Osinbajo team for the Presidential election as well as the Ambode-Adebule team for Lagos State governorship.

    It was their show, the Igbos in Lagos. Funded and organized by them to express their position. And although the rally had in attendance key APC leaders and candidates like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party with his wife, Oluremi; Ambode and his running mate, Dr. Oluranti Adebule and several other candidates of the party, it was still a platform decidedly mounted to demonstrate where the Igbos stand in the forthcoming election.

    It was a necessary and commendable stand to make at this time when endorsement of certain candidates has become desperate and dollarized. Anybody who claims to be on your side ought to be able to stand up and be counted for you. This is what the Igbos have done, just like the Arewa people did last month at the same venue, declaring in one voice that no amount of last-minute transactional overtures would make them vote against their conscience.

    This principled stand did not escape Ambode in his remarks. By that rally, the Igbos have reciprocated the good gesture of the successive administration in Lagos, a state where they have kept a commissioner’s slot for several years and where one of their own has been the official spokesperson of the party for many years. The next four years will witness more cordial relationship between the Lagos State government and the Igbo whose contribution to the commerce and fortunes of the state is well acknowledged, Ambode said clearly. His promise was that in his administration, if elected next month, no one will be discriminated against on the basis of tribe, religion or creed, while also promising an improvement in the business environment of the state.

    The Arewas were next and this Epe-born technocrat is showing no sense of fatigue or irritation even though he had been out the previous night till the wee hours of the morning attending a dinner meeting with all the aspirants who contested the party’s slot with his last December. The meeting with the Hausa leaders in Lagos was as strategic as the Igbo rally. The non-indigenes’ votes in the state, said to be between 35 and 40 per cent of the total registered voters is a voting bloc that cannot be ignored. Both the Igbo and the Arewa are said to account for the largest chunk of that total.

    Warm welcome and a promise of total support for his continuity agenda awaited Ambode from the Sarkin Hausa and the entire Arewa community, when Ambode’s campaign train arrived in Yaba. How can a candidate be so blessed in one day, getting the endorsement of both the Igbo and the Arewa in Lagos the same day, two weeks to the Presidential elections and four weeks to the governorship poll? To these ‘non-indegene Lagosians,’ apart from his own sterling qualities as a well-read, and well-experienced Public Finance expert, Ambode is reaping the fruits of the labour that his party, the APC, has sown in the past 15 years in Lagos.

    While the federal government struggles to deliver on its promises and is adjudged to have failed in the key areas of national security, accountability, power, oil and gas and in provision of social infrastructure, thereby making the desire for change at the centre a necessity, Lagos State on the other hand has been exemplary in how to grow Internally Generated Revenue and deliver on promises, thereby making the state attractive not just to indigenes of other states but to foreigners as well.

    Such a working state, the Igbo and Arewa communities are unanimous in their verdict, deserves the services of a technocrat who has the requisite experience, who understands the workings of government and who was part of the painstaking effort to grow the finances of the state in continuing with the good works of the incumbent governor. In their wisdom, that man is Akinwunmi Ambode, the University of Lagos-trained Chartered Accountant who spent 27 years of meritorious service in the Lagos State Civil Service, rising to become the Auditor General for Local Governments and later as Accountant General/Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

    But Ambode was not done on that interesting day. And he chose a community in dire need of government attention as his next point of call. Makoko, next on the schedule, provided a platform for the governorship candidate to hear first-hand the yearnings of that community and to address a town hall meeting that sought to reassure on the type of change they should expect in the next four years. While slums and shanties may be an unfortunate feature of most mega-cities in the world, due to inadequacy of resources, Makoko, from Ambode’s assurance, will witness a true transformation in the new dispensation. “The Lagos of our dream is here. It is a Lagos that will work for everybody. We will build on the achievements of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Fashola administrations. We are coming to consolidate on those achievements and Makoko will not be left out in this new dawn,” said.

    If it is about roads, for instance, Ambode was confident that his Project 20-20-57 would come to the rescue of localities like Makoko. What this project means is that if elected, Ambode’s government, would have minimum of 20 roads and 20 streetlights constructed in each of the 57 local councils each year. “With this template, more than four thousand roads would have been completed across all the local governments and council areas in Lagos in four years.”

    For a man whose selfless disposition is widely acknowledged, Ambode exudes real passion about his desire to serve as the governor of this prosperous state. His vision is clear and he has an infectious way of communicating it to the people. “We seek a clean, safe and prosperous Lagos, where justice and equity shall reign,” he reiterated at each function. And because he is real and demonstrably amiable, Lagosians, just like the band of hundreds of volunteers that have enlisted to his cause, believe him.

    He did not end that memorable Saturday without looking in at the Ikosi residence of Hon. Tunde Salau, who passed on last week. Touching words of condolence poured out from his pen, describing the departed as a strong pillar of support… a seasoned politician and leader. May your story never end.” He had more kind words to the family of the departed also.

    Campaigning with Ambode was like a long cruise, in which you hardly feel the strain. So it can be said of last Saturday, like the great American jazz singer once sang: what a difference a day makes, and the difference is Ambode.

  • Ambode to Nigerians: Vote massively for Buhari

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has called on Nigerians to vote massively for the party’s presidential candidate, General Mohammadu Buhari, in the March 28 poll.

    Warning of dire times ahead if President Goodluck Jonathan is voted back into office, Ambode who spoke at a rally in Agege by the Arewa community called on the electorate to reenact the June 12, 1993 presidential election during which Nigerians eschewed ethnicity and religion to vote for late Chief MKO Abiola.

    The APC governorship candidate also called on Nigerians to rise beyond primordial sentiments as patriots to salvage the nation from an impending doom that a continued Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government portends.

    He said that the success so far recorded by the token mass-oriented responses by the PDP-led federal government shows that with APC in control of the central government, the nation’s future would be very bright.

    The APC candidate added that the opposition of the APC to the Jonathan-led administration forced it to reduce the tariff on electricity, price of petrol and also compelled the government to start listening to Nigerians, who the government has treated with contempt in the past 16 years.

    He said, “What all of these has shown is that the PDP government actually knows what to do, but have deliberately refused to do it, because they had wrongly underestimated the will of the Nigerian people.

  • ‘Igbo ‘ll not do hatchet job in Lagos’

    ‘Igbo ‘ll not do hatchet job in Lagos’

    Igbos in Lagos have resolved to support the governorship ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. At a rally at Onikan Stadium, Lagos, Ndigbo and APC leaders sealed a new pact of peaceful co-existence and progress under the progressive banner, reports MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE.

    Onikan Stadium, Lagos, was aglow with festivities. From sunrise, Igbos in Lagos State stormed the venue for a strategic rally. The goal was to drum support for the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the March 28 and April 11 elections.

    The rally attracted party leaders, businessmen, students and other groups. They were dressed in the traditional Igbo regalia. They exchanged pleasantries in the native way, shaking hands firmly and hugging.

    The popular Ndigbo greeting ‘Igbo kwenu, kwenu and  kwezuenu’ rent the air. Songs exploring the myths and folklore of  Nri Igbo, the ancestral home of Ndigbo, emanated from loud speakers placed in vantage areas.

    The itinerary musicians gyrating the length and breadth of the stadium praised General Muhammadu Buhari as the light that cannot be hidden under the bushel, warning those who have plundered the wealth of the country with impunity to repent before it is too late.

    The arrival of the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in Igbo costume, was the icing on the cake. The eminent politician was cheered by teeming party supporters.

    Tinubu urged Nigerians not to yield to the campaign to divide the country along religious and ethnic lines. He said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaigns of division were meant to pull the country down.

    The former governor said Igbo in Lagos are dedicated and committed people, who have made significant contributions to the development of the state and Nigeria in general.

    He said Lagos State is the land of opportunities for committed people, stressing that the APC government has never discriminated against them.

    He said: “Some of you have been here for over 50 years doing your businesses unmolested. Nobody can discriminate against you. Nobody will fight you based on your language.

    “Now, they have been coming to Lagos, calling you group by group giving you dollars, even ‘dollarised’ rice, ‘dollarised akpu’. But, can this translate into school fees for your children? Can this open business opportunities for you in Lagos? The APC government has opened several opportunities for Igbo and we will continue to do so.”

    Tinubu called on the Igbo not to bow to pressure from the ruling party. He said PDP only remembers them during elections.

    He said when Nigerians voted for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, it was not done on the basis of where he came from, but on the ground that he would deliver on electoral promises.

    The APC leader described the president as a failure.

    “Today the naira  has fallen. It is now N340 to a dollar. The cost of living has hit the ceiling. Traders are finding it difficult to replace their stock. The business community is suffering and Nigeria needs a savour to bail us out.”

    Tinubu said General Muhammadu Buhari saved the country in the past when it was facing socio-economic challenges, adding that Nigerians  look forward to him to bail the country out its predicament.

    He said those saying that age was not on Buhari’s side missed the point, noting that countries with similar challenges had sought the wisdom of the leaders, who were much older than Buhari to redeem their countries.

    “Chief Obafemi Awolowo contested his last election at the age of 74. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of blessed memory contested his last election at the age of 79. Nelson Mandela ruled South Africa at 74.

    “Buhari is a soldier and a patriot. When America needed the greatest patriot to rescue it from economic challenges. They chose a retired soldier Dwight Eisenhower. When France was invaded by Soviet communist, they went to General Charles De Gaulle. When Britain was in trouble, the invited Winston Churchill to save them.

    “This is the time we need General Buhari, who has done it before to rescue us from this elephantiasis. When Maitesini invaded some parts of the north he chased the away to Chad republic.”

    According to him, General Buhari could afford to sit at home, but he is not the type who turn his back when the country is facing challenges.”That is why we are calling on the people to vote him, trust him with your mandate because he has what it takes to save the country in this moment of crisis and instability.”

    The governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, who addressed the crowd in pidgin English, said the Igbo should distance themselves from the PDP’s propaganda. He promised to run an administration that will not discriminate against any ethnic group.

    Discribing the cordial relationship between Lagos State and indigenes of the Southeastern states as legendary, Ambode said his administration would sustain the tempo.

    “Lagos has stood for all of us, it is time for the people to stand for Lagos. I know the economic hardship does not discriminate, we are all facing difficult time and if something is not done Nigeria will go bankrupt.

    The standard bearer promised to consolidate on the achievement of Governor Babatunde Fashola. He said there is need for continuity. He praised the Igbo community for taking a position about the destiny of the country.

    “We need to tell ourselves the truth because the country is not working. We need someone to rescue the country in the person of General Buhari and, by the grace of God on March 28, he will be voted into power.”

    Igbo leader Chris Nwakobia said the PDP government has failed the country. Igbo are not articles of trade to be used and dumped. He also said they Igbo has his pride. They are hard working and only ready to accept the best in term of leadership.

    He said there was no amount of dollar that could make the Igbo trade his conscience, adding that Igbo were highly enterprising people, who do not look up to peanut dole out from any quarter to mortgage their future.

    He said Igbo stands for dignity, due process and progressives politics.” I believe in progressive politics because our destinies is tied to the Yoruba as well as the Hausa.

    “We repudiate those who tinker with the idea of dividing us along religious and ethic lines. We believe that together, we can make Nigeria work. That is why the Igbo are for change. We believe that, with the Yoruba and Hausa, we shall make Nigeria better, “ he said.

    Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary Joe Igbokwe thanked the government for its accommodating and friendly disposition. He said the government has employed over 500 indigenes of the Southeastern states.

    He said: “The APC government in Lagos State had provided jobs for our people . I am calling on you, my fellow brethren, to under study the 12 reasons why the PDP must go. The PDP has failed the country. All the promises they made to us have not been fulfilled.

    “Let me acknowledge the sterling qualities of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is a title holder in Igboland. We should pray for him because, if not for his efforts and those of a few patriots, Nigeria will a pawn in the hands of some selfish leaders, who are bent of destroying our collective unity.

    “Let us vote people we can trust, Tinubu loves the Igbo. His fatherly role in the life of an average Igbo has been tremendous. Our businesses has been moving smoothly and we will reciprocate the effort by ensuring we vote continuity in Lagos and change in Abuja.

    One of the earlier beneficiaries of the Spelling Bee Competition for public schools in Lagos, Mr. Alex Ezenagu, testified that the APC administration has assisted many children from poor background to become notable people in the society.

    He said: “When I participated in the Spelling Bee competition, I emerged the best in Lagos State and I was awarded scholarship. Thereafter I went to the University of Lagos to study Law and came out with first class. I again went to the Law School and came out with first class.

    “The scholarship offered to me was not given on the basis of discrimination. It was not denied me because I am an Igbo man. It  was given to me because I did well. That rare opportunity has transformed me today. I am appealing to my parents of the Igbo stock to please vote the APC, let there be continuity in Lagos and a change in Abuja.

    The Eze of Ndigbo of Ikeja, Eze Uche Dimgba said the rally was a product of the Igbo endorsement of the candidacy of General Buhari and other APC candidates in Lagos State.

    He said: “The main reason why the Igbo Ezes endorsed Buhari and all APC candidates is in view of the excellence recorded by the APC led administration across all the states of the federation.

    “It is on records that Lagos State under Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Fashola has made progress. We want what has been done in Lagos State to be replicated at the federal level headed by General Buhari.”

    Dimgba explained the APC manifesto is the best among the other political parties in the country.”The choice of our support for APC is in view of the party’s credible and reliable presidential candidate who will tackle corruption and provide the enabling environment that will make business to thrive.”

    The climax of the event was the issuance of red card to the PDP by the March 28 Countdown Red Card Ambassadors for Change.  The members who wore Jersey with red card in the card, engaged in a football match between APC and PDP.

    Their leader, Linus  Okorie, said the match between PDP and APC should have been played on February 14, but the PDP committed foul and the match was rescheduled for Match 28.

    “The APC has been awarded a penalty to played within box 18. It will be taken by the skipper General Buhari who is a goal getter. He save the country before and he will deliver the country again. On March 28, he will deliver the ball into the net of the PDP to signal the end of the clueless government in the country.

    During the symbolic issuance of the red card, Tinubu urged the cheering crowd to raise the red up, naming the various positions contested by the parties which the people used their red card to sack the PDP at every announcement.

    Tinubu said: “At the senatorial election, who gets the red card?” The crowd chorused PDP. House of Reps, who gets the red card, PDP.  The Presidential election, who gets the red card? PDP. The governorship, who gets the red card? PDP, other positions, PDP.

  • Ambode unfolds agenda for civil servants

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has said that his robust experience in mainstream public service makes him most suitable to cater for the best interests of civil servants in the state if elected as the next governor.

    He said on Saturday at an interactive session with Lagos civil servants held at the Bero-Adeyemi Auditorium in Alausa.

    While promising good times ahead, the APC candidate said, “I am proud to stand before you as one of yours and to assure you that this project before us is basically about you. I come with a promise to employ my experience in this noble profession to serve your best interests as civil servants.

    “This is a constituency I readily relate with, and with my vast know-how about the way things work here, I make bold to say that I am in the best position to cater for your interests and thoughtfully admit your wishes and variant concerns.”

    Fielding questions from the elated civil servants present, Ambode outlined his plans and programs which he assured are designed to better the lives and expertise of workers, whom he described as “the workers who actually put their hands on deck in the process of making government work.”

    Most of the questions bordered mainly on the review of salary structure, working standards, welfare, retirement benefits and some misgivings about bonuses and incentives.

    To all these, Mr. Ambode gave responses to the satisfaction of the workers.

    Clearing the air on his alleged role in the controversy over the mode of payment of leave bonuses to workers, the APC candidate said, “No one can single-handedly make a decision as such; the movement from the harmonised salary structure to the consolidated one you have now, was informed by your very own calls to get a salary structure similar to the federal model. The government back then in the year 2010 simply assuaged to your yearnings.

    “I have always maintained that governance is about the people, and this leave bonus situation helps me drive home that point. Now that most of you want a reversal, we’ll definitely sit down again and review it together in favour of your best interests.”

    Beyond the salary scale and leave bonuses, Ambode also assured that his administration will work assiduously to institutionalise capacity building, training and re-training programme for civil servants, in a bid to make them adapt to the best civil service practices, processes and procedures.

  • Ambode endorsed

    The Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) in Lagos State, Musa Mohammed, has endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.

    Mohammed said the APC candidate had what it takes to lead the state to the next level.

    He said: “He is a technocrat; a civil servant whose wealth of experience will add value to Lagos State.

    “He has worked closely with Governor Babatunde Fashola and I believe he is in a good position to continue the excellent work.

    “We in the RTEAN are ready to maintain peace and order as we have been conducting enlightenment campaigns.”

  • Why vote for Akinwunmi Ambode?

    Why vote for Akinwunmi Ambode?

    One of the best campaign songs for the 2015 general elections,  belong to Akinwunmi Ambode. He is the All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, in Lagos State. I refer to that campaign theme song that ignites thus: ambooo ambo.ambooo ambo …. After that intro, the music takes the listener through a delectable thematic content and beats, to rally the voter’s mindaround the APC’scandidate’s potentials. Regardless of the variant, that campaign thematic song, urges the listener to vote Ambode, duringthe next gubernatorial elections. His opponents, particularly Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party, have their own theme songs, but none excites, like A+MBODE’s own.

    The A+MBODE sign, has to do with the visual theme of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode’s campaign. On this score, the APC candidate surely has his acts together. Among the numerous campaign posters, one of the most memorable also belongs to him. I refer to the poster, where AMBODEdelicately joins his two palms, perhaps in supplication for votes, but more significantly, a pose depicting his devotion to unity and peace. For the religious, it is the Amen or Amin sign. With a chubby, handsome, and peaceful face, solemnly looking ahead, the APC candidate, seems to be praying for a successful election. There, his bright eyes oozes love, while his palms delicately sticking together, is an open plea for all Lagos residents to come out enmass, to unanimously endorse him, as the next governor of Lagos State.

    Talking of endorsements, the APC candidate surely has his bag full, with very significant endorsers. The first and perhaps one of the most treasured endorsements, came from the traditional ruler of Lagos. Interestingly, before Akinwunmi Ambode became a household name and a gubernatorial frontrunner, in record time, Oba Rilwanu Lukman Akiolu, openly endorsed A+MBODE as the anointed candidate, to take over the governorship of Lagos State, after the glorious reign of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). With that royal decreeby the preeminent Lagos State monarch, Akinwunmi’s candidacy took a life of its own.

    Significantly, Mr. Ambode also has the emblematic support of the incumbent governor of Lagos State. The endorsement by the learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is not half-hearted. It is total, unequivocal and comprehensive. To sell A+MBODE, Governor Fashola is not leaving anything to chance. He uses town hall meetings, campaign stands, official functions, and indeed all opportunities, to expertly market his candidate. He sells Ambode as more experienced than his closest rival, Jimi Agbaje, of the PDP. He reels out A+MBODE’s excellent performance in public service, and excitedly tell Lagosians that his candidate has the competence, drive and ingenuity to shepherd the state of excellence.

    Governor Fashola, himself, with impeccable credentials as governor, dutifully reminds Lagosians of the numerous signature projects of his administration, and the need for sustenance. He warns Lagos voters not to torpedo the Lagos-Badagry rail project that has reached advanced stage; the Bus Rapid Mass Transit programme that has brought modernity to Lagos; the urban renewal programme that street by street, is restoring the pride of Lagos. He talks about the free and qualitative strides in education, which has restored the impetus of primary and secoundary education, with all the potentials that it portends for the future of the state.

    The Governor of the State of Excellence, reminds Lagosians of the need to sustain the financial autonomy and independence of the state. He reminds Lagos residents that Akinwunmi Ambode was at the financial trench, to rout the imperial invasion by the federal government, under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which had withheld the funds of the local government councils, to cripple the state. He sells his candidate as a financial genius, an administrative expert, who will hit the ground running, if elected his successor, as he has been part and parcel of the success story of the State of Excellence. Like a proud marketer of an excellent product, BRF excitedly reals out A+’s multiple academic laurels, and the other numerous exhibits of his fecundity.

    The man who started it all, to the glory of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, advisedly tells Lagosians that we should all board the Ambode train, as it is sure to lead to further prosperity. The distinguished leader of the strongest opposition party ever, in the chequered political history of Nigeria, we must remember, was the Nostradamus, who saw the brilliant performance of Babatunde Fashola, well before he nominated him, as his successor. He reminds us that he was castigated by those without the gift of clairvoyance. But like all true leaders, he stood his ground then, that, Fashola was the man; and true to his prediction, BRF today stands out in shining armour.

    Now again, the man with the gift of prophesy, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has prophesied that Akinwunmi Ambode is the next man with the Midas touch. I guess it makes a lot of sense to believe him. At his campaign stops, AMBODE the man of the moment has shown his capacity for logic and clear thinking. He has shown a firm grasp of fundamental governance issues. He has been able to connect and empathise with the poor and the deprived. He has shown uncommon acumen and succinct grasp of the big issues that would transform the mega city of Lagos, to one of the best and safest in that class.

    Akinwunmi Ambode, has also shown capacity to connect with the ethnic and cultural plurality of Lagos State. In his campaigns, A+ has gained endorsements from discerning cultural associations of non-indigenous peoples of Lagos, without alienating his kits and kin. For Ndigbo in Lagos, with Mr. Ben Akabueze, the Honourable Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget in Fashola’s cabinet leading, they have a stake in AMBODE’S triumph.k

     

     

  • Awori drum up support for Ambode

    Awori drum up support for Ambode

    Agroup, Awori Development Association, has endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, and other APC candidates.

    At a briefing, the group said the performances of all APC candidates in the current dispensation spurred the endorsement.

    Its Chairman, Jelili Jimoh, said the Babatunde Fashola-led administration had improved communities in the state.

    Also present are Suliamon Ogunshaye, Alhaji Semiu Yusuff, Alhaji Jamiu Alonge, Alhaji Ganiu Owolabi-Dada, Prince Rasheed Adekanbi, Alhaji Owojelu Suraju, and Prince Oseni Agedegudu.

    “We want to enjoin the people of Alimosho Federal Constituency, including our Awori kinsmen, to identify with the process that would ensure the continuity of the APC administration in Lagos.

    “We want to use this medium to appeal to the citizens of Alimosho, including our Awori kinsmen, to follow the traditional Awori path of peaceful co-existence and remain calm,” Jimoh said.

  • Women, students support Ambode

    Women, students support Ambode

    The Sisters Forum- a coalition of women from various ethnic groups in Lagos, has endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.

    Its Executive Director, Mrs. Chinyere Anokwuru, said the decision to endorse Ambode was based on their assessment of his competence and experience.

    “The emergence of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode as the APC governorship candidate ended our worries on who could match Babatunde Fashola’s achievements.

    “A look into his manifesto revealed that he had sufficient relief-oriented programmes for women. The welfare and economic empowerment of women is uppermost in his heart amongst many others.

    “Mr. Ambode’s credentials are excellent. His pedigree is spotless. He is the new face of leadership, transparency and competence. His intellectual and professional depth have put him on a pedestal that is higher than those of the other candidates.”

    The National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) has also declared its support for Ambode.

    At a briefing at the Federal College of Education, Technical, Akoka, Lagos, NULASS president, Abdullahi Mohammed said Ambode has the skills to take over from Governor Fashola.

    The students thanked the governor for the bursary given to them. They praised the Special Assistant to the governor on Youth and Student Affairs, Animashaun Abdul-Akeem, for his efforts at carrying them along.

     

  • ‘Why Lagosians should vote Ambode’

    A group, Akinwunmi Ambode Kommittee of Friends (AA’KOF), has listed reasons why Lagosians should vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on April 11.

    The body’s spokesman, Elder Cornelius Olopade, who spoke yesterday at the APC rally at Abesan Mini Stadium in Alimosho, Lagos, said the electorate should vote Ambode because he is a tested politician and administrator.

    He said: “Of all the candidates vying for the Lagos governorship seat, Ambode is the most experienced. He is tested and can be trusted.

    “Lagosians need the continuity of good governance. They need the continuity of the dividends of democracy. Ambode will provide these.

    “The National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola are dynamic politicians, who have set Lagos on the right path. Residents should not allow inexperienced politicians to truncate their good ideals. This is why they should give their mandate to Ambode.”

    The APC Lagos governorship candidate told the surging crowd that he was in politics to make a name.

    Ambode said: “By the time I finish my tenure, I want to leave a legacy of good governance. Our party, APC, is a party with welfarist programmes, which will positively affect the lives of Lagosians. I urge them to vote for me and other APC candidates. They will not regret giving us their mandate.”