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Endless
battle for Lagos
Having
lost both the gubernatorial elections in 2003 and the local government this
year, the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has not left any
stone unturned in preparing for 2007. The ruling Alliance for Democracy has
also not been keeping its fingers crossed. SAKIBU OLOKOJOBI
writes that Nigerians will continue to witness the battle for the soul of Lagos until the 2007
election is over.
UNTIL 2007, perhaps, when the governorship election in
Lagos State would have been won and lost, the enmity between the Peoples
Democratic Party and the Alliance for Democracy in the state may not abate.
From all indications there appears to be no letting up as the two parties, in
their battle for the business nerve centre of the Nigerian nation, remain
undaunting.
Only recently, the Lagos State government and the
opposition party in the state, the PDP, engaged themselves for the
umpteenth time in one of the
battles which are obviously to outsmart each other and prepare the grounds for
some electoral fortunes in the nearest future. The campaigns for the eventually
suspended strike proposed by the Labour and Civil Service Coalition (LASCO), to
protest the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products in the country, was
the latest platform for a battle.
The National Vice-Chairman (South-West) of the PDP, Chief Bode George,
unsettled the relatively calm political atmosphere in Lagos when he alleged
that the AD-led government of Lagos State had been fuelling the proposed strike
which promised to threaten the peace and security of the nation.
“Tinubu is giving the NLC leaders money to go
on strike. Why should Oshiomohole
choose the South-West as the area to mobilise support for the planned
strike?” he said.
If the accusation had come from any other quarter,
the Lagos State government and the AD in the state, would probably have
dismissed it as a mere ranting. But coming from George, the Lagos State
government and its party must have considered it dangerous to keep mum. The
Deputy Governor of the State, Mr Femi Pedro threw it back at George saying it
is regrettable that such a statement could come from a person of his calibre,
“especially at a time when efforts
are being made by well-meaning Nigerians to avert the proposed strike.
He is trying to create chaos and disorder in this state as well as cause
disaffection between Governor Tinubu and the Federal Government.”
To the undiscerning, the battle could be
misinterpreted to be a personality clash or one designed to be genuinely aimed
at ensuring that there is peace in the country. But in reality it is a
continuation of a battle for the soul of Lagos State, so to speak by the PDP
and the AD. And this battle, it has become obvious may not end until the general
election is over in 2007 and a clear leader emerges eventually.
The PDP set the tone for the battle shortly after it
lost the general election in 2003 at a carnival-like occasion, which was
organised at its Ikeja, Lagos State secretariat to reflect on its loss and
welcome some former AD members. At
the occasion, the PDP licked its wound and promised to fight back.
It is not surprising that the PDP in Lagos State felt
pained and committed to doing a battle to ensure victory in Lagos State in the
last local government election and the coming 2007 general election. In the
spirited efforts of the party to capture the South-West which had been the
stronghold of the AD since the return of democracy in 1999, five of the six
states - Ogun, Oyo, Ondo , Osun and Ekiti States were
“captured”. The party,
painfully, lost out in Lagos State. Hence winning any election in Lagos State
would go a long way in redeeming the party’s image in Lagos state.
Addressing the gathering where the general election
was reviewed, former Minister of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Chief
Abimbola Ogunkelu, who was at the forefront of the battle then, along with
George said they were pained at the lost, but said the members of the party
should not waver in their commitment to winning Lagos State. He said in his own
opinion, the battle to win Lagos had just begun and it was going to be fight to
the finish.
And fight to the finish, the party appeared to be
making it as there had not been any major respite since then.
The need to brace up for the challenges ahead,
obviously informed the need to change the baton of leadership. As the minister appointed from Lagos
State, Chief Ogunkelu was then the
arrowhead in the battle in Lagos
State. The failure of the party to win Lagos State under his
“regime,” inside sources said was considered to be his personal
failing and that was partly responsible for his exit as a minister.
So, when a cabinet reshuffle saw Ogunkelu out of government the party
was faced with the task of recommending a strong member to serve on the cabinet
of President Obasanjo and at the same time, lead PDP in Lagos State to the
promised land.
The Lagos State chairman of the party, Alhaji
Muritala Ashorobi, the former governorship candidate, Engr. Funsho Williams and
Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe all fought for the post before the current Minister of
Works, Adesoye Ogunlewe emerged. A similar battle saw the emergence of Senator
Wahab Dosunmu as an ambassador.
Having been appointed a minister, the mantle of leadership of the Lagos
battle fell on Ogunlewe who has, no doubt, been up and doing and carrying on
with the project of winning Lagos.
To be able to play the leadership role effectively,
Ogunlewe, who decamped from the AD to the PDP and lost his senatorial seat, had
no structure in the Lagos PDP and therefore found a haven in the Network
Alliance, a group controlled by Funsho Williams. Ogunlewe was also supported by Ashorobi, his
executive, and George, to paddle the “leadership” of the Lagos
struggle well.
He was however faced with opposition by some of the
elders and members of the group who felt they were not being carried
along. Some pacification had to be made to ensure that the ride was not as rough as it
was proving to be. And knowing the consequence of going to battle with a
divided house, all efforts were made to douse the tension within, to a
reasonable extent, before the fisticuff with the AD-ruled Lagos State was
embarked upon.
The PDP started its battle with the formation of a
shadow cabinet which was designed to be critical of the activities of the Lagos
state government. Although the PDP said the aim was to improve governance in
the state, the AD and political pundits were not deceived. If events since then are anything to go
by, the cabinet had at different times cashed in on any seeming unpopular
policy of the Lagos State government to promote its own values. The “confrontation”
the AD got from the shadow
cabinet, for instance, led to its allegation that the PDP was running a
parallel government in the state.
It stressed that the setting up of the shadow cabinet resulted from the
frustration which arose from their failure to win Lagos State during the last
election.
“The PDP must realise that they cannot get
through the back door what they failed to get through the ballot box,”
said the statement issued by the National Director of Publicity Research and
Statistics of the AD, Prince Dayo Adeyeye on the matter.
What, ordinarily should have passed for a harmless
comment by Bode George on Governor Bola Tinubu in a newspaper interview, in
line with the confrontation between two parties, became the source of another
controversy. Reacting to a threat that he would be dealt with, Tinubu tackled
George, saying he was plotting to kill him.
And when Ogunlewe arrived the scene of controversy,
it was with his claim to the federal roads in Lagos State. The roads which had
been the honey pot of Lagos State Government in a way was snatched by the
Ministry of Works. The Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA),the
Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI)
and local government authorities which had fed fat on the proceeds from
the tax on those roads were sacked by Ogunlewe’s men who were deployed
there to take charge.
The battle over the roads must have stemmed from the
embarrassment the Lagos State government had caused the federal government over
the failure of the latter to effect repairs on some of the deplorable federal
roads despite the complaints by the people of Lagos. Following his repair of some of the roads, Tinubu erected
signposts in others showing that it was the duty of the federal government to
repair them.
Ogunlewe took up the challenge and effected repairs
on some roads, but not without some noise-making in both print and electronic
media. The otherwise offensive signposts erected by Tinubu were replaced with
those showing that the repairs were carried out by the federal government. The
popular Oshodi market benefitted a lot from the politics as the potholes there
gave way to well tarred roads.
If the cessation that followed appeared to have
signalled the end of the battle over the roads, many political observers were
taken about in the change of strategy.
Like dealing a deadly blow, the PDP started encroaching on the field of
the AD, winning some souls, prominent among who are the former Chairman of
Agege Local Government, Mr. Enoch Ajibosho, and two members of the House of
Representatives, Mr. Femi Onimole (Ifako-Ijaye Federal Constitution and Dotun
Animashaun (Kosofe Federal Constituency).
These are apart from a number of other strong members of the AD who are
said to be already wining and dining with chieftains of the PDP. Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, for example,
is believed to be fraternising with the PDP.
In fact, doubts over the loyalty of Obanikoro and a
number of other members of the party is said to have informed the meeting of
the AD members in the National Assembly and some of the party chieftains in
Lagos a few months ago. Although Obanikoro was not present at the meeting
having travelled abroad for a ceremony, discussions at the meeting was said to
be towards ensuring that the members remained loyal. Suspicion about
Obanikoro’s loyalty came to the fore as he was said to have dumped his
party’s position in May when he refused to vote against the introduction
of a state of emergency in Plateau State.
Not many a politician are surprised at the ease with
which the PDP appears to be causing defection from the AD. The winning
formular, according to many, is the contracts being allegedly awarded by the
ruling PDP through the office of the Minister of Works, to some of the AD
members. Sources close to the PDP said the defection was the fruit of the
strategy of “empowering” the leader, who is suspected to be the
possible gubernatorial candidate of the party in the next election to capture
Lagos.
Tacitly corroborating this view in an interview with
our correspondent, a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tunde Salau
(Epe Federal Constituency), said “we are working seriously.
We have at the forefront the Minister of Works,
Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe. He’s fighting and we are fighting as well.
We’ve held several meetings and undertaken several projects that we
believe are enough to win Lagos for us.”
Speaking on contracts as a carrot being dangled
before the politicians, he said “every Nigerian has a chance to bid for
contracts. I’m sure you are aware of the existence of Due Process. If you
are a Nigerian and you feel you can do some engineering work for the Ministry
of Works, you are entitled to go there.”
Judging from the battle so far, it does not appear
that the PDP is going to stop unless it captures Lagos. But the AD is not keeping its fingers
crossed. Apart from its efforts to ensure that all members remained loyal to
the party, it has as well been tackling the PDP in its bids. Just last week the
AD Publicity Secretary in Lagos State,, Toyin Caxton-Martins disclosed
alleged plot by the PDP to destabilise Lagos. She said already, the party had earmarked N120 million for
that exercise. The money, according
to her was disbursed, ostensibly
to prevent the nationwide strike threatened by the Labour and civil society.
Also fighting back on the defection of two of its
members in the House of Representatives, the Lagos AD has threatened to recall
the legislators in question.
Caxton-Martins who also spoke on the issue described the two men as
political prostitutes. According
to her, they had sold their “birthright for a mess of porridge.”
Speaking in different interviews with our
correspondent in Lagos, both the secretary of the AD and that of the PDP in
Lagos State lay claim to the electorate and promised that there would not be
any respite until the voters gave their verdict in coming elections. Giving the
position of his party, the PDP spokesman, Alhaji Wale Magaji, said from all
indications, the battle his party had put up had started yielding fruits and
that it would not rest on its oars.
According to him, the defection of some members of the AD to the PDP was
a reflection of the level of achievement of his party. He said besides, his party was cashing
in on the alleged non-performance of the Tinubu administration to win more
electorate and members to the PDP.
He said as far as he was concerned, the AD had lost
whatever remained of its credibility and had since started living on a borrowed
time.
“As at today, we have a bright future in Lagos
State. The Tinubu administration
is guilty of non-performance and the people are no longer deceived. Look at his 2004 budget and tell me
what he has achieved. People have realised
that they were being fooled. That
is why members of the AD are moving in droves to the PDP.
“People voted for the AD in the past not
because its candidates had more credibility than ours, but because they rode on
the influence of the Yoruba factor.
That is gone now. They
should come out now and see what is going to happen,” said Magaji.
But Alhaji Lateef Raji, secretary of the AD in Lagos
State dismissed Magaji’s claim of having achieved anything through the
defection of some of AD members.
As far as Raji was concerned, those who defected to the PDP were the
unprincipled ones in the AD fold.
He said they defected to the other party not because they had the love
of the people at heart, but because of their selfish interest.
Raji said the strength of his party lay in the
support of the people and the appreciation of their style of governance. He said an evidence of the support the
AD enjoyed from the people was shown during the last general election when the
AD trounced the PDP in Lagos State despite the “huge sum of money they
released for the project of winning Lagos State.”
Raji was
not done yet. He said when both
Senators Wahab Dosunmu and Adeseye Ogunlewe defected to the PDP from the AD,
and came back to be voted for, nobody voted them in.
“We have the people on our side. They still stand by us because they
appreciate our commitment to service.
We make life worth living and we are sure they will continue to support
us. We can’t see the people
supporting the party that has been making life difficult them. Our strength lies in the people.”
With both parties committed to
winning Lagos, it is obvious that there is no end yet to the intrigues that are
being played out by the different dramatis personae.
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