The Ambode prediction that came to pass

Posted by: stiphbami in Politics, State of Mind Apr 13, 2015

On April 6, 2015, I issued a brief statement after a press parley during the Easter break. The statement contained a very bold prediction on the outcome of the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial and state assembly elections in Lagos State. As you may rightly now know, that which I predicted eventually came to pass. Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is now Governor-Elect, Lagos State.

To those in the know, it would be putting it mildly to say that this victory was already sure. But the truth remains that when change is yielding good fruits, continuity is only what is required to tend such a garden.

Indeed, Lagosians are a resolute breed as depicted in our daily lives. We could rightly be said to have the “Lagos Dream”. And we are lucky too. Lucky in the sense that the APC has rendered a good account of governance over the past 16 years. Lucky as a people whose leaders are on the platform of the All Progressives Congress – a party that has proven, beyond all doubt, that it has what it takes to propel this country and the state to even higher grounds.

Feats such as Ambode’s victory can be attributed to an interplay of various factors: the commitment of a people aimed at sustaining the tempo of development by voting to retain a performing party, the political sagacity of the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, whose penchant for pulling aces from his sleeves has become remarkable, the vibrant APC campaign machinery buoyed even more by the strategic and timely developmental strides of Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and a number of other factors that space may not permit me to name, for now.

The attention and concern generated by the governorship elections is a direct response to the yearning for continuity. Lagosians were confronted with the opportunity to determine their future and they wholly took control.

As a testament to taking control, being the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, I did not only deliver my polling unit, my ward, and my LGA. All the LGAs in the entire Lagos East were delivered to the APC.

The vision of a better Lagos is here. Akinwunmi Ambode will embark on a new age of reform and prosperity in this state by building on Governor Fashola’s legacy, thereby ushering in an era that will reorder the relationship between citizen and government, and continually make government responsive to the people.

Thank you, Lagosians. Eko o ni baje o!

Senator ‘Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East Senatorial District)