How Victorious Ambode extended His olive branch to fellow contestants in Lagos

Winner of the governorship ticket of the All Progresssives Congress (APC) in Lagos State,  Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has extended a hand of fellowship to other contestants, urging them to team up with him to win the poll.

In his acceptance speech after the election, the former Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance thanked party members and Lagosians for the confidence reposed in his ability, promising never to let them down.

His election by 3,735 of the 5,959 accredited delegates at the peaceful primary election at Onikan Stadium, Lagos yesterday had sparked jubilation among party members.

The election was conducted by the Planning Committee headed by the former deputy governor of Edo State, Pastor John Obadan.

It’s victory for Lagosians and democracy, says Ambode

Ambode’s victory speech goes thus ‘’, My fellow Lagosians, it is with a deep sense of gratitude and humility that I accept this ticket to run as the flag bearer of our great party, APC in the 2015 gubernatorial elections. This victory was made possible by you, the people. And to my fellow contestants, I have nothing but commendation and respect for putting up a good fight. The success of this primary and the victory that has come out of it is not just for me but for all of us that stepped into the water. It is a victory for Lagosians and for democracy.
I thank all the delegates, over 6,000 of you who voted according to your conscience. For once, you did not waver in your faith in the process put in place by our great party, APC. To the State party Executive and the national officers, I extend my appreciation for the long hours and the experience invested in this exercise. The orderliness, the transparency of the process and the spirit of sportsmanship devoid of bitterness that characterised this process signpost a better future for our democracy.
Our party has demonstrated to all that we are a party of great minds and democratic ideals. The flag of the party that you have handed over to me I accept with a deep sense of history, knowing fully well that Lagos deserves nothing but the best in terms of good governance and dynamic development. We have a legacy to build upon. We have a challenge to meet, and speedily too. The responsibility belongs to all of us.  Let us put aside the disappointment of yesterday and embrace the opportunity of today, not forgetting that the future begins today.  We must never forget that the future of Lagos is bigger than the summation of our ambitions.
After this victory, we must move quickly to retain the party APC in the column of the progressives by returning the APC to power in Lagos. The task ahead is daunting, but surmountable. We have only just commenced the first phase of the execution of our political agenda. The next phase beckons. We must all work together to usher APC back into power in Lagos State.
On my part, I promise never to waiver or fail. I promise to energise and mobilise our teeming supporters in the next phase of this struggle. I put myself to the task, knowing fully well that the foundation laid must never be destroyed but built upon.  I commit to the continuation of excellence and the uplifment of the lives of all Lagosians.
I thank you, and God bless Lagos State, Ambode concluded his appreciation speech.

Basking in the euphoria of a successful outing earlier , Obadan said: Ambode, having scored the highest number of votes cast, is hereby declared winner.”

It was celebration galore at the venue as Obadan declared Ambode winner of the primaries.

Trailing him were the Lagos State Commissioner for Works, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who polled 1,201 votes; Senator Ganiyu Solomon (272 votes); the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Yemi Ikuforiji (272) and former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan (112).

However, shortly after the shadow poll, other aspirants converged on Protea Hotel, Ikeja for the review of the exercise. However, they could not agree on any collective assessment, making them to shelve the press conference proposed for noon.

At the meeting were Ikuforiji, Hamzat, Pitan, Dr. Tola Kasali, Mrs. Tokunbo Agbesanwa, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab and Mr. Adekunle Disu. Former lawmaker, Hon. Lanre Ope, was not at the meeting.

At the primaries, Disu scored nine votes while Wahab got seven. A total 5, 815. 5, 724 votes were valid while 91 were invalid.

Ambode hailed the shadow poll, saying that it had validated the belief of the APC in democracy. He said the delegates voted according to their conscience in an atmosphere of transparency, adding that that transparency is a signpost for a better future for democracy.

Urging stakeholders to put aside the disappointment of the past and face the opportunity of today, he said the APC must win next year’s election for the benefit of Lagosians.

Ambode added: “Lagos deserves the best in terms of good governance and development. We have a legacy to build on.

Before announcing the result, Obadan noted that the process was free, fair and credible, stressing that it underscored the commitment of party members to democracy.

The former deputy governor said: “We are highly impressed with the level of progressive political awareness of the people of Lagos. What we saw at the party secretariat was the cooperation of the entire leadership of our party to ensure that we have smooth, transparent primaries.

“We have been transparent and fair to all. Aspirants have demonstrated a high level of maturity and understanding.”

However, Obadan said the APC has room for ventilation of grievances, urging aspirants who are not satisfied with the primaries to exploit the internal opportunity for redress.

He said: “In this contest, a winner emerged. If any aspirant is not satisfied with the way the exercise was carried out, he can go to the Appeal Committee, which is sitting in Lagos.”

 Pictures: From left: Dr Benson, Mr Divine, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and Mr Sunday Dare at the election venue, Onikan Stadium Lagos.

The Nation report