Lagos APC, PDP warming up for National Assembly elections

The Lagos State senatorial contest is going to be a battle between some ranking senators and those who want to unseat them. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE examines their chances in next year’s elections.

CANDIDATES of the various parties seeking to represent Lagos State at the National Assembly are not leaving anything to chance in their bid to receive the endorsement of the electorate in next year’s general elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through its Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Femi Akinbiyi, has indicated that 22 candidates are contesting for the Lagos West senatorial race, 15 candidates for Lagos Central and 13 for Lagos East.

It is likely to be a straight battle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with the fringe parties merely making up the numbers. This position was underscored when some of the fringe parties threw their weight behind the Lagos State governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the 2019 election.

Some of the fringe parties fielding candidates include: the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Labour Party (LP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Kowa Party, the United Progressive Party (UPP), the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Advance Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA).

The APC has an edge in the contest, because its candidates for Lagos Central and Lagos West, Senators Oluremi Tinubu and Adeola Solomon Olamilekan respectively are ranking senators, while the candidate for Lagos East, Bayo Oshinowo, is seeking to make his debut at the National Assembly. The electorate would be more comfortable with the candidates of the ruling party, because they are more familiar with the antecedents and performance of the party.

The PDP, on the other hand, has some points to prove; the main opposition party would try to show that it is no longer the underdog. The party will like to prove that its winning of some seats at the House of Representatives and the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015 is not a fluke.

Those who the PDP are looking up to perform wonders at the 2019 polls include Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, Lagos Central Senatorial District; Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Lagos West; and Princess Abiodun Oyefusi, Lagos East.

Analysts say the PDP performance will not be impressive beyond its present status, because most of those who won the 2015 election as lawmakers have defected to the APC, particularly at the Lagos assembly.

APC

Oluremi Tinubu is a ranking senator. Her contributions to her constituency have been remarkable. She has sponsored many bills, initiated various developmental projects. She has also been championing the quest to secure a special status for the state within the federation, through legislation, to further accelerate the development of the Centre of Excellence.

The lawmaker has gained a lot of mileage through her regular town hall meetings, where she empowers members of her constituents. Today, many jobless youths have their personal businesses, some of them trained in vocations skills which they are equally using in putting smiles on the faces of their dependants.

Political analysts say the senator will beat any opposition candidate hands down in the Lagos Central because, apart from what she is doing to better lives, she also relates well with party members in a motherly way; paying attention to their complaints and addressing them as they come. Most members call her ‘Yeye’, mother of the people.

Senator Olamilekan will be contesting for Lagos West for the second time. He has established himself as a lawmaker who knows when to engage the reverse gear. Observers say his chances of winning in the 2019 election are bright.

At some point, he aspired to become the governor of Ogun State, but dropped the idea when people of his constituency urged him to come back to complete jobs that are pending.

Olamilekan who is popularly called Yayi is a grassroots politician. He is very close to the people and ensures that their needs are well catered for. Right from when he was at the Lagos State House of Assembly, the lawmaker has been distinguishing himself in parliamentarian duties.

He was instrumental to the enactment of the law that strengthened the Lagos Internal Revenue Service. That law plugged the loopholes in revenue generation. He also sponsored and successfully pushed the passage of bill that repealed the Colonial Audit Act of 1956 and re-enacted the Audit Act of 2014 which led to the establishment of Federal Audit Service Commission.

The chubby and flamboyant Lagos West senator is a crowd puller during any political gathering and other events in the state. A loyal party man, he is always attentive to what party leaders are saying. His campaign offices traverse 10 local governments and local council development areas.

Olamilekan also uses town hall meetings to connect with the people. He believes that power resides with the people and tries to justify this in his dealings with them. During festivals, the lawmaker felicitates with leaders and ordinary members of his constituency.

Oshinowo is currently a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He contested the APC primary against incumbent Senator Gbenga Ashafa and secured the party’s ticket at the latter’s expense. Observers say the fact that Oshinowo defeated the incumbent senator in the battle for the ticket indicates that he will win at the general election.

The politician is very popular not only among the party bigwigs, but among the rank and file of the party. On many occasions, the Oshinowo demonstrated that he is a grassroots mobiliser in view of the loud ovation that follows his appearance at events.

He was recognised as the most supportive lawmaker by the Lagos State Polytechnic Students’ Union in 2013.

Analysts say Oshinowo has what it takes to win the election, because he has proved that during the APC shadow polls.

PDP

On the PDP platform, Onitiri would be slugging it out against Senator Tinubu for the Lagos Central seat. Nevertheless, the politician is not giving up. So far, three groups have thrown their weights behind him. These include: Council of Lagos State Indigenes, Eko Foundation and Omo Eko Pataki. They have promised to mobilise the people to ensure he is elected to the National Assembly.

Onitiri was unanimously selected by the PDP leaders in Lagos Central. Among those who endorsed him was former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Kofo Akerele-Bucknor. In selecting him, among other aspirants, the PDP leadership said it is necessary to field credible candidates like Onitiri, if its desire to win at the general election is to be realized.

In the Lagos West race, Rhode-Vivour will confront Olamilekan. Addressing residents of the constituency in the build up to the election, he said he has come to liberate the district from the dominance of the APC. He added that the PDP would make life better for residents of the constituency.

He said: “At the National Assembly, I will fight for infrastructure development bill that will fund the repairing of federal roads in Lagos. We must decongest Lagos and reduce the number of trucks on our roads.

“Our dream can never be achieved in isolation; only by working as a community can we create a Lagos that we all hope for. I am proud to be the flag bearer for the PDP on the senatorial ticket.”

Rhode-Vivour has promised deliver, if given a chance by the electorate.

As for the Lagos East race, it promises to be less turbulent for the PDP, given that Oyefusi would not be confronting an incumbent. She would face Oshinowo who is taking his first shot at the National Assembly election.

Oyefusi will be counting on the support of women in her constituency. She said women have excelled in many areas of lawmaking and administration. She added: “I am coming to contest in order to help strengthen the laws of our nation, our democratic process and to make direct laws that will actually impact Lagos East people.

“As women, we know how to impact and relate with our people and that is not a case of gender, but equality. Right now the best economy in the world is being headed by a woman and most of the changes in the world have been driven by women.”