SANWO-OLU: A VOTE FOR CONTINUITY

  Babajide Sanwo-Olu has emerged as APC candidate for the forthcoming election, writes Wale Akinmo

The image of Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, sitting alone at the chairs reserved for governorship aspirants under the Lagos State All Progressive Congress (APC) was somewhat surreal. At the dais at the special congress which held on Thursday at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, he cast the figure of a loner. Missing at the event which was conducted under the watchful presence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were the other aspirants, his fellow contestants. 

For hours, Sanwo-Olu sat there with empty chairs flanking his sides. But, by the end, the results showed he wasn’t alone. Adamu Yuguda, chairman of the five-man electoral committee, would later announce “total votes cast, 1,182; valid votes, 1,170; invalid votes, 12.”

Sanwo-Olu got the whole 1, 170 valid votes to emerge winner and the APC’s Lagos gubernatorial candidate at the 2023 general polls. 

Earlier, there were two contestants for the APC Lagos State gubernatorial spot – Wale Oluwo, a former Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources and Abdul-Ahmed Olorunfemi Mustapha, a former Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. However, they were not cleared to contest the primaries by the Electoral Committee of the party, hence their absence. “We are aware that three aspirants bought forms for Lagos state,” Yuguda said to journalists, explaining their absence. 

“Three accredited for the screening. One was cleared, two were not cleared.

“So, as we speak, the other two aspirants have not been cleared by the screening committee and by the appeal committee.

“We are only attending to those that have been cleared, the aspirant that has been cleared by the two committees.”

According to Yuguda, who was a former deputy governor of Borno State, the Lagos APC is one family and the whole exercise was transparent. But as the only candidate cleared, the path to victory for Sanwo-Olu was without any impediment. 

According to reports, upon winning the primaries, Sanwo-Olu said: “I am grateful to God, the distinguished delegates and the leadership of the APC for the chance to continue the good work of governance that we have begun in our great state. With this resounding victory in the primary election, I am confident that we are united and ready to continue to be a beacon of hope and service to this great state. To the other contestants, I congratulate you for being a part of this very democratic process and invite you to join hands with me #ForAGreaterLagos.”

Even if there was a contest, it was unimaginable that there would have been a contest. Aside from being liked by party members, his experience as Lagos governor so far has been of tremendous impact on the state. In his fourth year as governor, Sanwo-Olu has shown he knows how to address the pain points of Lagosians. Think about the economy, healthcare, education, environment and even sports and youth development, his administration has continued to push Lagos ahead despite all the challenges.

When Sanwo-Olu took over the reins of governance from the former governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State had become dirty. With rubbish spewing from nearly every corner, no thanks to the emergence of Vision-Scape, a cleaning company which took Lagos back to the days of little vision. And Lagos only became dirtier. It would take a reversal to the use of Private Sector Participation (PSP) trucks by the Sanwo-Olu administration to ensure Lagos became cleaner – something it had taken for granted. 

Also, about eight months into his tenure, Covid-19 surfaced, becoming a pandemic and challenging all governments of the world including Lagos. With proper governance, Sanwo-Olu negotiated Lagos out of the hardship of the pandemic by deploying palliatives to segments of the populace.

And as if challenging his credibility as chief security officer, in October 2021, youths, using Lagos as a base, protested against an errant security outfit of the Nigeria Police, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) which has become notorious for harassing and exploiting Nigerians, especially youths. Though it was a nationwide protest, Sanwo-Olu stepped in, and voiced the complaints of the youths to the federal government. Sadly, the FG’s lukewarm response ensured the protest degenerated into riots orchestrated by urchins in which lives and properties were lost. Had the FG been as prompt and proactive as Sanwo-Olu, perhaps a solution would have arrived faster without the losses, estimated to be around N20bn in Lagos alone. 

And since inception, his administration has commissioned four Mother and Child Centres (MCCs) at Eti-Osa, Igando, Badagry and Epe. It has also intervened in renovating Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Apapa General Hospital, Harvey Road Health Centre, Ebute Metta Health Centre, Isolo General Hospital and the General Hospital, Odan. And just in February, Sanwo-Olu said his administration has begun constructing the New 150-bed Massey Children’s Hospital in Adeniji-Adele, which will be the largest paediatrics centre in West Africa when completed. This is in addition to approval given for the construction of a 1,500-bed Psychiatric Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre at Majidun in Ketu Ejinrin.

In 2021, the governor unveiled a five-year plan to boost agriculture in the state to make it earn $10bn by 2025. This roadmap includes the State Aquatic Centre of Excellence (LACE) which would boost fish production from 20 percent to 80 percent, the Imota Rice Mill, the Lagos Food Production Centre Avia, Igborosu-Badagry as well other agro initiatives, including empowerment.

Personally, while I experience the bottleneck caused by the construction around Ikeja and Yaba because of the light rail, I bear it, knowing that November, the Red Line of the Lagos light rail which runs from Alagbado to CMS would become operational. Work is also in the finishing stages of the Blue Line which runs from Okokomaiko to CMS and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2023. While other lines are also on the drawing board, no doubt, moving around Lagos will become a better experience. 

There are many more projects on the plate of this administration. As it is doing well, I believe that the APC has made a right in voting for Sanwo-Olu’s continuity in order for his administration to crown its good works. 

In the race to become Lagos governor, the main opposition is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Olajide Adediran, popularly called Jandor, who defected to the PDP last January from the APC. He is a force to reckon with.

It should be noted that politics is actually a game of numbers.  While Sanwo-Ou’s contestants at the primaries, even if by a long shot, had emerged winners, the APC would have a hard time selling their candidature to Lagosians. I mean, let’s face it – who really knows Oluwo and Mustapha in the Lagos political circle? Those two would have been like anchors and dragged the APC down in its race to Alausa. In this light, Sanwo-Olu is the better candidate to help APC retain the governorship as well as prevent Jandor from clinching it.

 Akinmo writes from Lagos