Barely a week to the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State, the All Progressive Congress (APC) attack dogs in the media are again out for mischief. This time, they are trying to put the blame of their sinking ship on others, accusing them of conniving with the opposition. A national newspaper on Friday, March 1, 2019 ran a news report on its front page accusing the State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode of secretly working against the interest of his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) at the forthcoming polls.
In the latest fabricated report, which has followed the tradition of others previously designed to achieve sinister motive, the author and perhaps the sponsors, as usual, were not bold enough to associate with the vicious lies contained in it, a development which speaks volume as to the credibility of the report.
According to the crass story, it was alleged that Governor Ambode is sponsoring his associates to be part of the grand plot by the camp of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the governorship candidate of the party in Lagos, Jimi Agbaje to forcibly take over the State.
In the warped and surreal wisdom of the author of the report, Governor Ambode must be blamed because Mr Wale Oluwo, a former commissioner who has since resigned from his cabinet, is now working with the PDP candidate.
Also baseless, spineless and tactless is another drivel by the author of the said report vilifying Governor Ambode because of the insinuation that a chieftain of the APC, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi who worked for the Governor’s second term bid, is now in the camp of the PDP.
It went further to allege that the Governor bought a house for Afikuyomi in a choice area in the State and furnished it to the tune of N400million. That is total gibberish and nonsense. It’s a pity that the paper could descend so low to publish a scandalous story without concrete evidence.
The fact that some elements within the APC are coming up with this absolute trash still beats me because with the number of intellectuals and eggheads in the party, it is expected that they ought to have grown above such ludicrous claims and pettiness, but I take solace in the fact that politics and desperation can drive people to do absurd things.
With the episode that had been playing out in the APC, one cannot but ask whether the party is not really crumbling in the State and this would be very unfortunate.
I say this because at a time that all the stakeholders in the APC should come together and be united to ensure the task of emerging victorious at the March 9 elections, some elements within the party have taken to town to spread lies that would do nothing but weaken the fabrics of the party. Such people are the real enemies of the party!
Without mincing words, the report is unfounded, smacks of mischief and is just the figment of imagination of the writer and perhaps the sponsors. Curiously and rightly so, the said report, like I said earlier, does not carry any byline and that is a strong indication that there is more to it than meets the eyes.
Even so, it is important to remind those doubting Thomases that Governor Ambode has consistently insisted that he is resolutely committed and unwavering to the ideals and goals of the APC and will never do anything to jeopardize the interest of the party and he has walked the talk in several ways in that direction.
For instance, since the Governor was denied a second term in October 2018, he did not at any time turn his back against the party, instead he reaffirmed his commitment and kept working for the party’s victory at the polls.
At several fora, he has openly endorsed the governorship candidate of the party, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, most recently being at the mega presidential rally of the APC held at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere where he broke protocol to drum support for Sanwo-Olu and emphasized the need for the State to be in the same party with the APC-led federal government.
The Governor, shortly after the outcome of the APC governorship primary, donated his campaign vehicles, office and as well collapsed his structure across the State to work for Sanwo-Olu’s victory. Facts abound to the effect that the Governor is indeed working for the victory of the APC and the leaders of the party are well aware of that and so one cannot but question the motive behind the false report.
Governor Ambode did everything possible to deliver Epe Local Government and the state to President Buhari and majority of the National Assembly candidates. He has also assured that no stone would be left unturned to repeat the same feat on March 9.
So, these childish shenanigans, unfounded insinuations and unnecessary desperation MUST stop.
For sure, the APC attack dogs must earn their pay, but at this time good reasoning should supersede rhetoric and adventurism.
By Gboyega Samson, a lawyer wrote from Ketu, Lagos
