As the storms rage, Ambode reassures supporters— ‘Tinubu and I are not in any fight’

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has reassured supporters that all is well in his relationship with Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), even as political realignments appear to show that he is no longer the power broker’s favoured choice for the APC governorship ticket ahead of 2019.

Ambode said this while addressing members of the ruling party in Epe, during the election of delegates for the presidential primary and national convention of the APC, on Wednesday.

“I want you to know that there is no fight anywhere. The National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and my good self we are not in any fight, we are not in any controversy,” he said.

“We are praying to God that the best is yet to come and the best will be what Lagos State deserves and I want you to just continue with your prayers that at this time, God will show His hand and make sure that everything that is of blessing to Lagos State and also blessing of Epe will come to pass.”

He commended all the leaders and party faithful who contributed to the success of the delegates’ election in Epe, saying APC remained the party to beat in Lagos and Nigeria.

“We have just concluded our Delegates’ Election in Epe Local Government and by consensus, we have picked our three delegates that will be going to the National Convention come October 6 for the Presidential direct primaries and the convention for all other people,” he said.

Read also: Gov Ambode on shaky ground as LG bosses endorse Sanwoolu

“I want to say a very big thank you to all our delegates that are present here; I want to say a big thank you to all our leaders that have also supported us to make sure that this event has come and is done very successfully.

“I want to reiterate once again that our party, All Progressives Congress (APC) remains the party to beat; we are the party at the national level and we are going to remain the party in the State.”

Following his official declaration to seek reelection on the platform of the APC, Mandate Movement, a group loyal to Tinubu, endorsed Babajide Sanwoolu, a former commissioner in the state, to challenge Ambode for the party’s ticket in the forthcoming direct primary.

At a meeting held after Sanwoolu picked his governorship nomination form, James Odunmbaku, a prominent member of the group, said, “Sanwoolu is the incoming governor of Lagos”.

Also in the race to succeed Ambode is Femi Hamzat, who also contested against him in the party primaries towards the 2015 election, emerging second.

 

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