Lagos AD Leaders Clamour for Early Guber Priamaries
Tinubu reads Riot Act to cabinet members
By Tokunbo Adedoja
In a bid to consolidate the hold of the Alliance for Demcoracy(AD) on Lagos State, some leaders of the party in the state are said to be pushing for the gubernatorial primaries of the party to hold in 2005, two clear years to the 2007 general elections.
Reliable party sources told our reporter that party leaders pushing for an early convention hinged the idea on three factors. These include the need to allow whoever emerges to have enough time to mobilise the electorate ahead of 2007 general elections.
The second reason, it was gathered, was to allow the party enough time to manage post primaries crisis so as to be able to present a united front in the general election.
The third reason, according to party sources, was to assist the party to know those that are planning to decamp from the party so that it can manage the situation before the general election.
Sources said the party is not oblivious of the fact that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been making moves to attract some of those aspiring for the topmost political seat in the state and that one of the serving three Senators may have even signed a secret pact with the PDP.
"We have to sieve the wheat from the chaff. It is important that we know those that are loyal members of the party and those that are only in the party to achieve their narrow objectives. The view is that once primaries are held, loyal members of the party would fall behind whoever emerges, while those that are not true members of the party may want to look for another platform to achieve their personal agenda. So we want to know them from next year", a party source said.
It was also gathered that Governor Bola Tinubu has mandated one of his confidants and a serving Commissioner to draft a Riot Act that would be read to cabinet members, who are believed to be nursing gubernatorial ambition, later this week.
Not less than five members of the cabinet are believed to be interested in succeeding Tinubu in 2007, while some are even said to have started underground campaign for the realisation of their aspiration. The governor is said to be concerned about the impact their ambition may have on the focus of government as some of them are said to have started making moves towards realising their ambition. The riot act to be read, according to sources, would forbid cabinet members from embarking on political campaigns secretly or openly until such a time when the basic objectives of the administration for the state have been fully achieved.
It was also gathered that ambitious members of the cabinet would also be given an option of either remaining in the cabinet and suspending all activities towards the realisation of their aspiration or resigning to pursue their guber ambition.
"You see, the governor wants to write his name in gold. He has given his cabinet members goals that must be achieved within his remaining term in office. But some of the cabinet members are already pursuing their gubernatorial ambition, which the governor feels would make them lose focus if not urgently checked", another source told our reporter.a
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