Lagos 2019 Guber: I Won’t Step Down — Ambode Refuses ‘Federal Big Job’ Dangle

Lagos 2019 Guber: I Won’t Step Down — Ambode Refuses Federal ‘Big Job Dangle’

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has said that he will neither step down his second term ambition nor endorse erstwhile commissioner, Babajide Sanwo-olu who is pressumed as the favoured candidate of the National Leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

SKYTREND NEWS gathered that on Wednesday, party leadership mounted pressure on the incumbent Gov. Ambode, to drop his second term bid and endorse his opponent, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Sanwo-Olu came into reckoning in Lagos politics after he obtained the state governorship form last Tuesday and immediately got the backing of the Mandate Movement in the Lagos APC.

The Mandate Movement is led by the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was Ambode’s political godfather.

The chairmen of the 57 councils had also declared support for Sanwo-Olu.

The governor and Tinubu have been in the news in the past few days because of an alleged rift over the second term bid of Ambode.

Tinubu had refused to back Ambode’s second term ambition despite pleas by notable people in the state and the country.

Sanwo-Olu, a former commissioner in the state, on Sunday formally declared his intention to vie for the Lagos State governorship ticket of the APC, promising to restore the glory of the state when he was voted in as the governor.

Notable APC leaders in the state, who were either allies of Tinubu or his followers, were at the declaration.

According to a source quoted by Punch Newspaper, “Ambode seemed not to be pleased with the directives of the APC leaders as he declined the ministerial dangle. He also told them to allow the APC primary process to continue as planned. For now, the meeting is still continuing and there is no compromise in sight.”

Punch further reports that on Wednesday Ambode had instructed his camp not to speak to any journalist and wait for the electoral process to pan out.

“We told him that he might likely lose if he decided not to fight back, but he just smiled,” another source said.

However, it was gathered that the state APC leaders were still insisting that Ambode must go as of Wednesday evening.

Also, it was gathered that the meeting of the Governor’s Advisory Council, the APC’s highest advisory political organ, which held in Lagos, did not discuss Ambode’s issue.

It was gathered that the body was supposed to advise the party on the choice between Ambode and Sanwo-Olu and its implication for the party.

There had been reports that the verdict of the body would seal the fate of both Ambode and Sanwo-Olu.

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