The All Progressives Congress, APC, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State are wide awake ahead of the next round of general elections.
The gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections will take place two weeks following the presidential and National Assembly elections.
What some assumed would be a walkover for the APC due to years of supremacy may turn out to be one of their most significant battles since its establishment in 2013.
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Sanwo-Olu faces a challenge from a considerably younger Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), whose popularity has risen in the aftermath of the Labour Party’s (LP) recent strong performance.
Though Bola Tinubu won the national election on February 25, he was defeated in Lagos by Peter Obi, the LP’s standard bearer, who many believe won by a larger margin.
The result humbled the ‘Jagaban’ who at a rally in Abia State mocked Obi for not living in Anambra.
“He moved to Lagos, I am his landlord. I dey wait for the day I beat am for election,” he had said.
It was the second time in Nigerian history, following Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, when a victorious presidential flagbearer was defeated at home.
Obi petitioned the tribunal in Abuja last Thursday against Tinubu’s victory, after asking his followers to remain peaceful and vote for LP candidates on March 11.
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His victory in Lagos has frightened the APC, which has increased meetings, discussions, and electioneering across the state.
The government’s reported mandate to state personnel to post campaign messages in support of Sanwo-reelection Olu’s was one of the last-minute pushes.
Notwithstanding the LP phenomenon, the party is confident of keeping power, citing substantial grassroots support.
In a chat with Newsmen on Sunday, Lagos APC Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo stated that the opposition won’t emerge victorious this weekend.
“I can say we are confident, more than ever, as we go into this election”, the spokesperson boasted.
“You mentioned the LP wave; the wave is a fluke… a flash in the pan. Lagosians are knowledgeable people who know Governor Sanwo-Olu has done well and will re-elect him.
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“Yes, there was low voter turnout the last time. It was because many were aggrieved about the naira redesign which the Supreme Court has overruled.
“People were also not happy about the scarcity of petrol, those issues brought about anger. Again, some voters were against the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“Now without these issues in the governorship election, we are looking at victory. It makes a lot of sense to retain Lagos to be with the centre.
“If not for the Lagos-FG partnership, the rail line, the ceding of State House in Marina (built by the colonial government in 1882) to Lagos, and others would not be possible.
“We will win this election and win convincingly, you can quote me on that,” said Oladejo, ex-Commissioner of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations.
Former deputy governor Femi Pedro appointed incumbent Sanwo-Olu as an aide and later Tinubu’s special adviser on corporate issues.
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He served as Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, and Commissioner for Establishments and Training at various periods.
Sanwo-Olu worked for the now-defunct Lead Merchant Bank Plc, First Inland Bank Plc (now First City Monument Bank), and United Bank for Africa, UBA, in the 1990s.
The governor, 57, attended the University of Lagos, UNILAG, the London Business School, and the Lagos Business School.
Rhodes-Vivour, 40, has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
GRV also has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Lagos, UNILAG, established Spatial Tectonics, and sits on the boards of Al Huda Construction and Delta Commercial City Ltd.
Azeez Adeniran (Jandor), the Peoples Democratic Party’s other frontrunner, attended The Polytechnic in Ibadan, Modul University in Vienna, and Howard University School of Commerce.
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The 45-year-old Chairman of Core Media Group, Datanet Project Services, and The Floral Consult is also the Jandor Foundation’s Lead Visioner.
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