Lagos next governor unveiled by Oba Akiolu

There are strong indications that Mr Akinwumi Ambode, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has secured the nod of the leadership of the Party including Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola.

The cat was let out of the bag when Ambode, a former Permanent Secretary in State Treasury Office, Lagos State Ministry of Finance was endorsed on Thursday by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu.

Oba Akiola is a close confidant of Alhaji Tinubu who ensures that he became the Lagos monarch when he was governor. It would also be recalled that earlier in the week, Tinubu described the Oba of Lagos and the Awujale of Ijebuland as some of the few credible Obas in Yoruba land.

Speaking at the launch of the Biography of Ambode on Thursday, ``The Art of Selfless Service,’’ written by Maria Osoba, Oba Akiolu described him as a suitable successor to Gov. Babatunde Fashola. The book tells the story of Ambode and the need to leave a legacy that people can learn from. At the event, Akiolu urged other governorship aspirants of the APC in the state to give Ambode a chance.

``When the APC leader, Bola Tinubu, chose Gov. Babatunde Fashola in 2007 to succeed him, it was met with stiff opposition but today Tinubu has been justified. ``We see a similar character like Governor Fashola in Ambode,’’ the Oba said. Akiolu said that all other aspirants of the party were great but God and the elders had chosen Ambode.

``The APC can go ahead with their primaries but the elders of the state have met and agreed that Ambode should be the next governor of Lagos,’’Akiolu said. In his speech, Ambode said that he was guided in life by the lessons he learnt from his father to be selfless.

``Today, I have a Lagos dream that we can share together,’’ he said. Ambode, who worked in the Lagos State Public Service for 27 years, said he was properly mentored by Tinubu and Fashola.

He was Permanent Secretary, State Treasury Office, and Ministry of Finance when he retired in August 2012. According to the book, Ambode was born at Epe General Hospital, Epe in Lagos State on June 14, 1963 as the sixth child in a family of 10 children. The book chronicles the challenging times that he went through and which shaped his life. Many traditional rulers in the state and some chieftains of the APC were present at the launch. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Akiolu’s endorsement of Ambode as undemocratic.

The Lagos State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Tunji Shelle, told NAN on phone that it was unfair on other political parties for the Oba to endorse an aspirant of a particular party.

``As a traditional ruler, we had expected the Oba to give his blessings to all aspirants and parties and allow the peoples' choice to emerge as governor of the state,’’ Shelle said.

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