₦airaland Forum

we need Ambode as Governmenor of Lagos state.
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In this interview with DAYO OKETOLA and GBENRO ADEOYE, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, said he is more experienced than the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, to govern the state

Have you recovered from the shock of the recent election in Lagos State, which saw a close contest between your party, All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party?

I’m not sure it’s appropriate to use the word — shock. Let’s go back in history: in the 2011 elections, the President and PDP recorded 1.3 million votes in Lagos State. So for PDP to have recorded about 670,000 votes in 2015 actually means that it lost over 800,000 votes when you compare the two elections. That’s the way to look at it. Fewer people actually voted for him in Lagos State this time around. That’s the way I want to look at it. Maybe the other part is to say that the margin between APC and PDP was not much. We looked at the conduct of elections in relation to how the Independent National Electoral Commission performed. In Lagos State, you will see that in most areas, a whole lot of Lagos residents were disenfranchised due to no fault of theirs which could explain the number that came out to vote eventually. Also note that there were apprehensions before the last election; the whole place was militarised and everyone felt there would be violence and that it would not be safe. That could also account for why a whole lot of people kept away from the streets and did not come out to vote. I believe strongly that we will see a different pattern in the governorship elections.

Igbo community in Lagos seemed to have voted for PDP and seems to be gaining ground politically in the state. Are you worried about the challenge posed by this population in the state?

We need to quickly correct something, there is nothing like Igbo challenge. Every Nigerian living in any part of Nigeria is free to exercise his or her right and according to their choice. We have not seen any pattern evolving like that in Lagos State. So if a pattern is evolving in a particular area, we need to start analysing it. That has not been analysed yet so there is nothing like Igbo challenge. What we see is that people will stand up and vote for whoever they like. And like I told you, it wasn’t as if there was any pattern that was shown in 2011. We will see what happens next Saturday.

Are you saying the margin between PDP votes and APC votes will be wider on April 11 in your favour?

Absolutely. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan won the presidential election by a very wide margin. 1.3 million to almost 200,000 votes but in the Lagos State governorship election, Governor Babatunde Fashola won with 1.5 million votes as against 200,000 votes of the PDP candidate. It was a reversal of the presidential situation. But it’s going to repeat itself next Saturday.

But the feeler we got is that between the last presidential election and now, APC has quickly made overtures to the Igbo community in Lagos. Is this not true?

Yes, this is politics. You talk to everybody because you want to bring them to your camp. You don’t just sit down and say that a particular set of people did not vote for your party in an election, then you will close your eyes and leave them so they can vote against your party in another election. So I will strategise and try as much as possible to talk to those who did not vote for APC and convince them of the reasons why they need to vote for us. For me, there is no tribal votes in Lagos. The state is too cosmopolitan for that. People have their choices and their interests. As of that last Saturday, some people voted to protect their interests. When it’s time for the next election, they will review it again and to protect their future interests, they will vote in a different direction. And that is the way we think it is going to happen.

We hear that the Igbo community in the state is actually trying to protect its future interests. Governor Fashola allegedly deported some of their kinsmen two years ago and they are reportedly planning to retaliate against the party with their votes to prevent another experience like that in future.

It will be unfair to say that they are retaliating or offended by whatever was done by anybody. There is no truth in talks that the governor has been unfair to any tribe in the state. His policies and all the infrastructure being provided in the state are for everybody. There is nowhere you find a bridge he provided for the use of only Yoruba people. The infrastructure is for everybody, so to say that somebody has been unfair to Igbo is unfair. The next four years is about Akin Ambode and we are giving assurance that every person in Lagos will count. It is a government of inclusion. We are not going to be tribalistic in terms of the provision of infrastructure. If there are any ill feelings, I just want to assuage their fears and tell them that this is a government of inclusion. Nobody will be left behind and they can be assured that everybody’s interest will be protected.

When is the light rail going to be delivered, the project seems to be going on for years?

I just said it, it’s being funded by Lagos State and the Federal Government support is not there. But I believe strongly that we will create a financial restructuring that will allow us to deliver that light rail within the next 18 months.

You spoke about the traffic situation which you described as unacceptable. Is that not an indictment on the current administration in Lagos State?

No! No! No! let me tell you, there is nothing like indictment. Go to New York or the major cosmopolitan cities in the world, there is always traffic. Nobody wants to even stay in New York if there is a chance to be in other parts of America. As structured as London is, it still imposes congestion charges to allow fewer cars to be on the road. So ours is not different. What is important is for us to be able to create traffic management solutions that will be efficient and effective. And beyond our roads, we have created other modes of transportation which we are already addressing. People can go on the waterways. Once the light rail project is completed, that will take a whole lot of people off the road. Then because we also have the centre, do you know what it means to now activate the monorail. Because we will now be working with the Federal Government to be able to use the monorail from our Iddo Terminus to other parts of Lagos. That is a plus for us.

The programmes you have highlighted are things you can achieve if you win the election. But presently, artisans, okada riders (commercial motorcyclists) and market women are not happy with the APC government in Lagos. What are you doing to to change their perception?

I’m not too sure of the fact that all the artisans want to vote for the opposition party.

Actually, this set of people have described the APC government in Lagos as elitist.

Two things now. I will explain why this government is not elitist and I will tell you why this government is about the artisans. As we speak, 90 per cent of the working class of Lagos State are artisans. And that means that a lot of people in Lagos are actually in the informal sector. Everything we have done in the last 16 years is about them. It’s about lifting them up and making life more comfortable for them. The basic thing that artisans are looking for is an enabling environment for their enterprises to thrive; they want the ability to move from one point to the other and to have a secure place for them to trade and do their businesses. We have done all these mostly in the last eight years. We have created the BRT; we have lit up almost every part of the major streets to allow people to be safer. You cannot compare the security status of Lagos in 2007 to what it is now. People are moving freely. I just want to assure the artisans that anything that we have provided in terms of infrastructure does not preclude artisans from using them. All the roads they use in transporting their goods were made for them. There is nothing on the roads that says that only elites can use them. We have been giving them facilities and even as part of my programme, I have decided that I will have a small scale credit guarantee scheme for artisans. We are going to improve on vocational training and skills acquisition for artisans. My project that talks about tourism, hospitality, entertainment and sports is to create that lower level generation of work for carpenters, makeup artists, tailors, drivers, security men and others. That’s where I’m going. It’s not about the directors. Yes, I will allow a climate that allows investors to put money here and put the structures in place, but it will also create more room for people in the lower level and that is where my target is.

You say our government is elitist. I want to tell you today that the most expensive project in Lagos right now is the 10 lane road project from Mile 2 to Badagry. The light rail project that will be moving people from Mile 2 to CMS. it’s situated on the Mainland. It’s not in the urban part of Lagos, not in Victoria Island. Do you know that the people in Mile 2, Okokomaiko, Mazamaza, Ajangbadi, Badagry and Festac axis are the ones that will benefit from this. The road being constructed between Mile 12 and Ikorodu makes life more comfortable for the people living there; these are not elite. So it is absolutely wrong to say that this government is elitist. The projects that are being done on the Island are even to allow people to have freer access to move from the Mainland to the Island. So I don’t agree with that. The projects are more about the Lagosians than anybody else.

You left public service at age 49 but what people generally think is that there is more to the story. Some people say you were sacked from government. Is this true?

It’s very good I use this platform to clear whatever insinuations that are being bandied about. When you do something that is not normal, people want to adduce reasons to it because it’s abnormal to them. I’ve heard in some quarters people saying that I was sacked by Governor Fashola and I’ve also heard that I stole and that was why I left the service. The issue is this; if I was sacked or if I stole, this campaign would have been a great opportunity for those people to bring the issues out and use them against me. We are approaching the end of this campaign and nobody has been able to bring out the sack letter or say this is what I stole. So I see it as a campaign of calumny against my candidature. The other part of it is this: I have in my hands a letter of commendation written by Governor Fashola four months after I retired. I’ve displayed it for people to see. Governor Fashola is still in power. Journalists can ask him if he wrote a commendation letter to me or not. Did you sack him? Did he steal? This will put it to an end forever. I have served Lagos State meritoriously. I left an exalted position in service, where I had the opportunity to stay for another 13 years. But I wanted to challenge the system and say you know what, you don’t have to stay in an exalted position forever. There is dignity everywhere and people of character must be able to stand up and be counted. That’s what I’ve done. I left on my own volition because I wanted to give other people a chance, because I know also that there are other things ahead of the position of Accountant-General. That’s why I’m contesting for governorship. So we need to let our people know. We have a few days to the election, if anybody has anything, let them bring it out. It’s not true. I also have a letter of voluntary retirement from the Lagos State Civil Service Commission which the commission gave to me and it is well documented. So if other parties just want to use it to diminish my status, God has said that I will be the next Governor of Lagos State and that’s why I’m appealing and pleading with voters to vote for people with character, credibility and experience.

Many aspirants wanted the APC governorship ticket in Lagos State but the feeler is that the primaries were manipulated to your advantage.

Thirteen aspirants contested but there will always be one candidate. The party made the primaries as open as possible. We had over 5,000 delegates. These delegates were not ghosts, they are human beings like you and I. They came out and decided individually and it was televised. Each delegate had the choice to choose one of the 13 candidates. We were not standing there with the delegates so how on earth was it possible to manipulate the process? Nobody stood there with them. They were there individually. It’s just the same way we went out last Saturday to make our choices. And then when the votes were counted, they said GMB won. Similarly on that day, when the votes were counted, they said I won. Now the issue is this, I did not in anyway say that delegates should not vote for other aspirants. The delegates made up their minds and we have to respect their choice. That is as far as that goes.

read more: http://www.punchng.com/feature/hotseat/why-i-reached-out-to-igbo-voters-ambode-lagos-apc-governorship-candidate/

Source: the punch

the campaign train of Akinwunmi Ambode berthed in ASPAMDA to urge the traders to let their interests support the continuity of excellence by APC in Lagos.

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