Just In! Lagos APC Faction Emerges, Moves To Save Ambode 2nd Term Bid

Lagos, Nigeria News 26th September, 2018: A faction of the All Progressive Congress, APC in Lagos State led by Mr. Fouad Oki, has supported Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s second term bid, adding that like his predecessors, he was entitled to an automatic 2nd term guber ticket.

According to Thisday, the faction, which broke away in February due to alleged cases of illegalities, manipulation and marginalisation against some members, warned that if the deep-seated cases of injustice “are not addressed in the interest of equity, fairness and justice, we may all suffer for it as we are currently suffering for the Osun debacle.”

In a telephone conservation with Thisday Newspaper, the Chairman of Lagos APC faction, Oki, supported the privilege of first refusal for a performing first-term governor, though admitted that there was no provision for such privilege in the APC Constitution.

Contrary to the position of the party leadership, Oki explained that every first term governor should be given the privilege of first refusal, though acknowledged that the APC Constitution did not make provision for such privilege.

However, according to him, it has become a convention in our party over the years. It is a privilege for elective officials in the executive cadres. And the purpose is to enable them complete the work they have started.

He, therefore, justified the privilege, which he argued, should be extended “to the person that occupies the office of Lagos State Governor because we rotate governorship position in Lagos State on the basis of senatorial district. Since 1999, this has been the practice. Why do we want to change it now?

“It is assumed that once a governor scales through the first term and once a governor performs well during the first term, the second term is automatic. It is just a privilege. The right of first refusal is not in the APC Constitution. Rather, it is a convention that previous governors in the state have enjoyed,” the factional chairman explained.