At times, life plays some little pranks on us, you play life and toss it behind you, then later, just after you have forgotten all about it, it bounces back at you to burn those fingers you have used to fiddle with it. That is exactly what has come back to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, or how else would one explain the rejection of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the just concluded All Progressives Congress primary elections across Lagos State? Though, many times, human beings set their ambitions and hopes on something and strive towards it, but by some twist of fate, they do not achieve the goal, sometimes also, people sit down on a spot hoping for something, with virtually folded arms and without making any serious effort; their goal just rolls down to meet them at their place. My amiable governor should realize that, there are some who almost became Lagos State governor but for fate, they couldn’t get there. Remember in 1979, Chief Akanbi Onitiri. Chief Obafemi Awolowo wanted him to be the Lagos state governor but Chief Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ) took the mantle of leadership and in 1987-91, Dr. Femi Ayantuga and Chief ‘Bayo Dejonwo, were the front runners in the Committee of Friends, the leading political group of the era then, but they died before the ban on politics was lifted. Also, Chief Dapo Sarumi and Prof. Femi Agbalajobi, were as good as becoming governor until General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) banned them from further participation in the electoral process, that paved way for Mr. Yomi Edu to contest. Edu was the popular Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate but was done in by the intractable crisis in his party, thereby losing to the unpopular National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate, Sir. Michael Agbolade
Otedola.
Ambode still owes Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu eternal gratitude for this lifetime opportunity. What Ambode should realize is that yesterday is gone, he should forget it, tomorrow does not exist, he shouldn’t worry, today is here, let him carry on, the future is unknown
In 1997-98, Engr. Funsho Williams was the leading guber aspirant/candidate of the then popular United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and would have become the governor of Lagos State if the scheduled guber election was held but the death of the Gen. Sani Abacha put paid to it and truncated his dream. The late Prince Ademola Adeniji-Adele, the man who used his initials for the number plate of Lagos Island Local Government and which remains so till date, was loved by all but the platform he belonged to then, Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM), couldn’t have pulled a surprise at all, they got a majority in only one Local Government, Lagos Island LG.
He was later to become the deputy guber candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999.
Adeniji-Adele also made a big mistake. Had he joined the Alliance for Democracy (AD), he would have been given the Senate ticket given to Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, and who knows, he could have been in a better position to bid to succeed Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2007, but still in 1999 election, Sen. Dr. Wahab Dosunmu would have become the Lagos State governor too, but for the last minute decision of the Justice Forum to revisit its shadow primary which was held before the return of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from exile. If not, Dr. Dosunmu, the Otun Apesin of Lagos, would have been fielded by AD and he would have won the election landslide. Mind you, Chief Otedola, who ruled for a year plus remained grateful till his death. So, if you had the opportunity of ruling Lagos for four years, please, don’t be ungrateful, if they say it is enough, just return home, don’t rock the boat, you are not better qualified than those who never got there but due to fate.
My candid advice to Gov. Ambode is that he should just walk away honourably. His last move by pointing accusing fingers at Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu depicted unbridled desperation and lack of decency. Ambode seemed to have forgotten how he emerged governor in 2015 at the expense of the aspiration of many other contenders including Mr. Obafemi Hamzat, Ganiyu Solomon, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Olasupo Shasore, Lanre Ope, Leke Pitan, Tayo Akinde, Abayomi Sutton and Tobun Agbesanwa. Heaven did not fall then.
If the entire APC architecture in the state has asked Ambode to go, he should just walk away. That is honour. That is integrity. That is decency.
But Ambode still owes Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu eternal gratitude for this lifetime opportunity. What Ambode should realize is that yesterday is gone, he should forget it, tomorrow does not exist, he shouldn’t worry, today is here, let him carry on, the future is unknown. But, he should have it in mind that he has performed excellently according to Asiwaju Tinubu, so, he should give thanks to God . Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has done his best for the people of
Lagos.
Now, that the godson has begged the godfather for his misdeed and anomalies during the hard time of the primary election, he now realized that he has no option than to work hand in glove with Babajide Sanwo-Olu to move the state forward in order that the gains of the last three and half years should not fade away.
He also promised that he would do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition in the remaining period of his administration and to the coming governor, come May, 2019. It is left for Tinubu, the reformer, strategist, generalissimo and Awolowo of our time to forgive and forget his godson, Akinwunmi Ambode so as to let the sleeping dog lie.Ambode should be allowed to concentrate on his governance and not to be punished after the expiration of his tenure as governor because ‘to err is human and to forgive is divine’. Moreover, Lagosians should not take advantage of the rift between Ambode and Asiwaju Tinubu to count scores and deviate from the APC that we all built to sustain the highest standard of democratization process.
Orunbon, a public affairs analyst, wrote in from Epe, Lagos State.He xan be reached via; orunbonibrahimademola@gmail.com
