The President of the Centre for Leadership and Director, United Kingdom, Jacob Ogunseye lauds Lagosians for voting for Mr. Bababjide Sanwo-Olu as governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) has a bright future.
The party made a wise decision in fielding Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as governor in the last election.
Sanwo-olu may not be a Tom and Jerry mattertalk as some people thought. Besides the endorsement of Mr Sanwo-Olu by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the great job done by the campaign organisation of the party in the state, who worked assiduously to produce the governor could not be underestimated, even though, the election challenges mounted by other contenders including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Jimi Agbaje appeared to be an effort in futility.
Campaigning for APC in Lagos State has never been a struggle. Tinubu has built solid political structure that produces the best across the country. How he picked the ebullient Babatunde Fashola, Yemi Osinbajo and host of others remain a secret that keep him flying. The Lagosians’ belief in Tinubu as leader and builder gave a real picture of what happened in the state. The adversaries must come to terms with it, Tinubu is a man to beat anytime in Lagos politics. You divorce him at your peril. He has done more than his contemporaries.
The prowess and sagacity of the Mandate, Justice Forum, Team Lagos and State’s campaign Council contributed immensely to the victory of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the governor-elect, his deputy, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat and other various elective positions in the state. The party took a brilliant path by appointing ingenious, masterly and inventive strategists to man the campaign doors across the state, rally round the 57 Local Government leaders and produced a fortified and toughened blueprint. It pays off, as the party did not only win but set a new high for APC winning chances by decimating the proportions of the votes usually gathered by the oppositions.
The political leaders in the state had set up Independent Campaign Group (ICG) as the platform for the election and the epic is the announcement of Mr Tayo Ayinde as the Director-General and Cardinal Omojola Odumbanku as the deputy. As soon as the announcement was made, the terrain changed. An articulated Tayo Ayinde, his deputy, Cardinal Odumbaku turned around Lagos state campaign electioneering process as against a “well thought” negative backlash that the political analysts and spectators have suggested would definitely follow an unimaginable denial of the incumbent governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode’s second term ticket. The doomed prophecies disappeared, no thanks to the ICG and its ever ready leaders.
Tayo Ayinde’s working pattern during the campaign sent a signal of victory, even before the election. He worked round the clock. “I called this man in the night, spoke for few minutes, I also sent him a message by 5am of the same day, he replied instantly, does he ever gets a night of sleep at all?” My response was simple; he is the Biblical reference of the man King Solomon referred to in one of his proverbs. “…. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men… “
By all standards, Sanwo-Olu himself is a good political brand to market to the Lagos electorates. His party in Lagos state has been under the firm grip of the progressives since the inception of the democracy in 1999. The positive influence of the ruling party’s national leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the state makes it difficult for the “Every Four-Year Customers” to make a meaningful impact, if they actually do in the real sense. With Tinubu’s support, the job of Mr Ayinde though became easy, yet he went round to garner the support and assurance of party faithful across the 57 local governments and the local development authority. How the people across the state were able to vote massively for APC and its new candidate became a misery, but very confident, Ayinde will be able to give an explanation.
Vibrant Ayinde established ICG chapters across the globe, as usual, the United Kingdom took the lead. Ibrahim Yusuf, a frontline politician in the UK was appointed to steer the affairs of the group, it quickly metamorphosed to a full-blown Diaspora campaign central body for Sanwo-Olu. ICG UK lends their support through press releases, campaign materials, one-on-one vote conversing, organising symposium and vote-soliciting phone calls to potential Lagos voters using various forms of resource. The deputy governor-elect once visited from Nigeria, he was impressed knowing the victory is closer. The same was replicated in USA and other Diaspora chapters.
In one of the meetings held in London, United Kingdom, briefly after the inauguration of the country’s chapter, the representative of the DG re-affirmed their readiness to continue the progressive’s governance in Lagos state; some doubting Thomas openly viewed his position as self-praise suggesting it is a show-off. But history is here today to justify a campaign manager and his team worthy efforts because Sanwo-Olu will take over the affairs of state and APC will continue to govern Lagos State for another four years.
The ability of the DG and his team to easily mobilise everyone including the grassroots politicians and the elites into the same electioneering camp for the same purpose remain an impressive effort. The campaign group pulls together the artisans, different ethnic groups, people with disability, etc under the same roof. His mental ability and physical strength give hope to Nigerians. No doubt, the world is awaiting the active involvement and participation of Mr Ayinde and some of his team members to feature prominently in Sanwo-Olu’s government.