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Tag: Sanwo-Olu

  • Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, others to receive Certificates of Return March 27

    Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, others to receive Certificates of Return March 27

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Lagos State, says it will on March 27 present Certificates of Return to the Lagos State Governor-elect, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.

    Mr Sam Olumekun, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), said on Thursday that the lawmakers-elect of the Lagos State House of Assembly would also be given Certificates of Return the same day.

    “The presentation of certificate of return to elected candidates is in conformity with Section 75 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    “The presentation ceremony will take place at INEC Lagos Office, 6, Birrel Avenue, Sabo-Yaba, at 11:00 am for the Governor-elect and his Deputy.

    “Meanwhile, that of the elected members of Lagos State House of Assembly will come up at 2:00pm,” Olumekun said in a statement.

    According to him, all invited guests are requested to be seated by 10:30am and 1:30pm respectively for the two ceremonies.

    The News Agency Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sanwo-Olu, of APC, polled 739,445 votes to defeat Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 206,141 votes, and other contestants in the March 9 governorship election.

    INEC declared Sanwo-Olu winner of the poll on March 10.

    The commission will on Saturday hold a supplementary election in the Ibeju-Lekki State Constituency I where the state assembly election was declared inconclusive.

    Candidates of APC won in all the other 39 constituencies where state assembly elections are already concluded by the electoral umpire.

  • Ambode, Tinubu, others react to Sanwo-Olu’s victory

    Ambode, Tinubu, others react to Sanwo-Olu’s victory

    …as APC clears all 40 assembly seats

    Reactions have been pouring in since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Babajide Sanwo-Olu as winner of the March 9 governorship election in the state.

    The incumbent governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday sent out his congratulatory message to the governor-elect Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat as well as the 40 House of Assembly candidates of the party for their resounding victory at Saturday’s polls.

    Sanwo-Olu was declared winner of the election and governor-elect by the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the State, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede.

    He trounced his closest challenger and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje with 739, 445 votes to 206,141.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, the governor said the feat was a reward for the vigorous campaign embarked upon by the APC candidate and his running mate across the length and breadth of the state.

    The statement reads: “Lagosians have spoken loud and clear with their votes and have overwhelmingly voted for a government they believe will continue the trajectory of growth that we have experienced in the last 20 years under the APC.

    “It is therefore with great pleasure that I congratulate our great party for a resounding victory yesterday. Again, the people of Lagos have decided to stay on the path of infrastructural drive, economic growth and all round development.

    “While I congratulate the Governor-Elect, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat on their well-deserved victory, let me also thank all Lagosians for keeping faith with the APC,” Governor Ambode said.

    “Governor Ambode also congratulated all the 40 candidates of the APC in the State Assembly elections for emerging victorious, adding that it would ensure a seamless relationship between the executive and the legislative arms of government.”

    The national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu also expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the governorship election.

    He congratulated the governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, saying that he deserved the victory.

    After giving his acceptance speech at the state party secretariat on Acme Road, Alausa, Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu and the deputy governor-elect, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, had stormed the Bourdilion, Ikoyi residence of the leader.

    The governor-elect was accompanied by party elders, chieftains and associates. He thanked Lagosians for giving him the mandate.

    Party followers were singing and dancing at the secretariat, following the declaration of the results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Savouring the joy of victory, Tinubu told reporters that Lagosians voted for APC candidates in appreciation of the diligent services rendered to the state by successive progressive administrations.

    He noted that Lagosians ignored the campaign slogan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Jimi Agbaje, who was advocating freedom.

    The former Lagos governor said the campaign approach was unwarranted and illogical because the Centre of Excellence has not been in bondage.

    He said: “It is not about freedom fight, but about a thinker and doer and what APC can do in Lagos to develop further and make further progress.”

    Party chair Tunde Balogun also congratulated members and Lagosians for reposing confidence in the party, assuring them that Sanwo-Olu will not disappoint them.

    Balogun said yesterday was a memorable day, hailing Lagosians for making a wise choice.

    He said: “Today, history is being made in Lagos as Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu becomes the governor-elect and his running mate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor-elect of Lagos State.

    “He will be sworn in on May 29 as the 15th governor of Lagos State. I pray all of us will be alive to witness the event.”

    Meanwhile, Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker and Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Mudashiru Obasa has also congratulated governor-elect, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and his deputy governor-elect, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat on their victory.

    He felicitated with returning and new members-elect of the House of Assembly for what he described as “hard-earned but well deseved victory at the polls”.

    “It was tough for us all but at the end of the day, a well deserved victory for all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a confirmation of the love Lagosians have for our great party and the giant strides we have been achieving in the state”, Obasa said in statement by his media aide, Rasak Musbau.

     

     

  • Lagos poll: Why I lost to Sanwo-Olu – Agbaje

    The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje, has attributed his defeat at the just concluded gubernatorial election to the suppression of votes in his strongholds.

    Agbaje disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH after the result of the governorship poll was announced.

    Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress who scored 739,445 out of the 977,476 total valid votes in the election, emerged the winner and governor-elect in the state.

    Agbaje got 206,141 votes in the election.

    The PDP candidate lamented on the low voter turnout in Lagos State which was less than 20 per cent of the total number of persons that collected Permanent Voter Cards.

    He said the threats, coupled with the manner in which the presidential election was conducted, led to the voter apathy witnessed in the nation’s commercial nerve centre.

    The PDP candidate said, “From the outset it was clear that the numbers were on our side and naturally, that was our comparable strength but the moment you had the numbers slashed, then we were at a disadvantage.

    “The strategy of the other side was to make sure that those numbers did not come out to vote and to that extent it has worked in their favour.”

    Agbaje said many of his supporters were intimidated and even threatened with eviction and sack if the PDP won in their areas.

    He said rather than risk their lives and their livelihood, the people decided to sit at home which gave his opponent the upper hand.

    The PDP candidate added, “It is not good for our democracy when only about 20 per cent come out to vote. There was voter apathy because of the event that happened during the presidential election.”

    Agbaje said voter apathy would continue as long as people believed that their votes would not count.

    When asked if he would be challenging the outcome of the election in court, Agbaje said he would refrain from making comments for now.

  • Agbaje reacts to Sanwo-Olu’s rice gift to civil servants at Lagos secretariat

    The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje, has lambasted his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for giving rice gifts to civil servants on the premises of the government secretariat ahead of next Saturday’s governorship election.

    A stampede occurred during the struggle for rice at the government secretariat on Thursday shortly after Sanwo-Olu and other APC leaders met with civil servants.

    In a statement by his Director, Media and Publicity, Felix Oboagwina, the PDP candidate said Sanwo-Olu’s gesture was appalling.

    Agbaje described Sanwo-Olu’s meeting with civil servants at the government secretariat as an abuse of privilege and an attempt to manipulate the civil service which ought to be apolitical.

    He said, “We find the invitation and the rice gift appalling, opportunistic and illegal. In a political contest of the nature in which Sanwo-Olu and the rest of us are involved, he has been offered an undue advantage. An uneven playing field has been created. And this is condemnable and contemptible.

    “The gesture goes against Nigeria’s bureaucratic statutes that forbid civil servants from romancing politics. For crying out loud, there are still regulations preventing civil servants from involvement in politics. That invitation and the rice gifts are a violation of those extant rules.”

    Agbaje said the APC designed Sanwo-Olu’s rice gift to bury 20 years in which Lagos officials had been treated like trash and subjected to sordid conditions like nepotism, over-taxation, denial of promotion, delayed promotions and deprivation of leave and end-of-year bonuses.

    He alleged that civil servants who maintained a neutrality and refused to show up for the meeting stood the grave danger of being marked down for discrimination and intimidation.

    According to him, it was to maintain neutrality and decorum that soldiers and Police were similarly barred from involvement in politics, and politicians prevented from campaigning in uniformed personnel’s barracks and formations.

    “It is a shame to see civil servants struggling and hurting themselves just to get a small bag of Sanwo-Olu rice, but it is even more shameful to subject the crop of Nigeria’s middle-class to such an indignity,” Agbaje said.

    The PDP candidate also berated the APC for sending police and thugs to bar a “Free Lagos” Press Conference slated for the Lagos Airport Hotel in Ikeja.

    “It is the mother of all ironies that, on the same day that APC organised an illegal meeting for its candidate, it was sending a combined team of cops and hoodlums to dislodge an event organised by bona fide Nigerian citizens,” Agbaje noted.

    On Police and thugs aborting the event organised by the Orange Movement for a Free Lagos State, Agbaje said the cancellation violated the fundamental rights of the citizens to associate and hold opinions, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.

    The event ran under the theme, Setting Lagos Free from Bourdillon Bondage, #OtogeLagos.

    The statement read in part, “It is an assault on freedom of speech. And every day, we witness the frontiers of Nigerians’ freedom being eroded by a privileged minority that takes special delight in subjecting citizens to impunity and corruption.

    “The APC further assaulted our collective freedom by Thursday’s order to Police to bar an event where Nigerians wanted to legitimately express themselves.

    “We roundly condemn the APC for this. And we call upon all Nigerians and the international community to condemn this high-handed and draconian clampdown.”

     

  • 2019: Agbaje, Sanwo-Olu attack each other at Lagos forum

    2019: Agbaje, Sanwo-Olu attack each other at Lagos forum

    Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Mr Jimi Agbaje, on Friday differed on infrastructure, health and other issues critical to the development of the state.

    The candidates spoke during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Private Sector Interactive Forum with governorship candidates in Lagos.

    Addressing issues of traffic and transport management, Sanwo-Olu said that government was a continuum and vowed to continue all projects started by his predecessor for the benefit of citizens.

    He said that his plan for traffic was holistic, from road repairs and construction to opening up more means of transportation through waterways and rail, to training and empowerment of traffic officials.

    “For years during the PDP rule, we asked the Federal Government for access to the existing railway corridor, but it was denied. This led us to create the Blue line railway from Okokomaiko to CMS.

    “We need to complete the track because Lagos needs a transportation system outside roads that can move thousands of people daily,” he said.

    Responding, Agbaje said that for 20 years of APC governance in the state, residents were still grappling with traffic congestion; especially issues with trailers parked on bridges along Costain to Apapa.

    “Lagos is one of the two mega-cities of the world that does not have a multi-modal transportation system. It is time we start thinking of multi tiered roads; the world is moving, we cannot afford to be different.

    “The rail project has been on for too long. We need to have big ideas to address problems that are peculiar to Lagos.

    “The way things are presently is not sustainable and it has failed to deliver the sort of impact in the lives of ordinary citizens that should be expected from an economy of Lagos’ magnitude,” he said.

    Agbaje said that the sort of development that Lagos requires should be anchored on improving liveability, expanding the economy and retooling it for the 21st century.

    Sanwo-Olu promised to take the state away from the national grid.

    He said that within six months of his assumption of office, he would deliver about 1000 Megawatts of power supply to the State.

    He said with about 2000 Megawatt of consistent power supply, the power needs of Lagosians would be solved.

    Sanwo Olu said that a well thought out regulatory and legal framework is strategic to drive Public Private Partnership (PPP) operations in the State, stressing that when elected, he would deploy global best practices in the engagement of the OPS.

    He said that he would partner with distribution companies to ensure they upscale their power supply to the state, noting that prepaid meters would be provided to residents to ensure accountability and transparency.

    However, Agbaje said he would improve power by 1000 megawatts within his first 18 months, and encourage investment in embedded power projects toward enhancing power supply.

    Speaking on health, Sanwo-Olu noted that the Lagos Health Insurance Scheme would ensure access to affordable healthcare and help build a health care structure to be proud of.

    On his part,Agbaje criticised the present Health Insurance Scheme, saying making it mandatory was another form of taxation that has been making life difficult for the masses.

    He said his administration would have significant developments in health, waste management, education, transportation management and in making use of technology to solve problems.

    Agbaje promised to develop “an ocean economy” and a knowledge driven economy” to enhance the economic well-being of the state and its citizens.

    Besides, Sanwo-olu said that his administration would be innovative about Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in a way that would not exert pressure on the citizens.

    He noted that the private sector remains the engine of economic growth and would continue to create an environment for the private sector to thrive in the state.

    “As a former Commissioner for Commerce & Industry in Lagos, I know that proper collaboration with the private sector leads to more job creation, improved industrial harmony and boosts investment,” Sanwo-Olu said.

    Mr Babatunde Ruwase, President of LCCI, said that engaging the candidates would give exposition that would guide the private sector’s electoral choice.

    He said that the quality of political governance has profound implications for investment environment.

    Ruwase said without a conducive business environment, there cannot be meaningful economic progress.

  • 2019: Sanwo-Olu denies Ambode’s rehabilitation allegations, explains visit to Gbagada General Hospital

    2019: Sanwo-Olu denies Ambode’s rehabilitation allegations, explains visit to Gbagada General Hospital

    The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday denied allegations levelled against him by the imcumbent governor, Akinwunmi Ambode that he (Sanwo-Olu) was unfit to rule the state.

    Sanwo-Olu, who spoke on Sunrise Daily, a live programme of Channels Television, on Wednesday morning, was responding to claims by incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and former aspirant for the governorship ticket that the APC candidate had undergone rehabilitation at Gbagada General Hospital.

    Recall that Ambode had addressed a public gathering on September 30, making the claim. He has since campaigned for Sanwo-Olu’s election come 2019.

    The ex-commissioner, however, stated that in politics, people are bound to make unfounded allegations in a bid to gain the upper hand.

    He said, “This is me. I’m 53 years old. I’m sure I’m older than all of you (programme anchors).

    “I missed my exercise this morning just because I needed to come here. But you know, in all of the things you’ve talked about, people get overly excited. For whatever it is, emotions will rise.

    “People will say things that they haven’t corroborated very well. People will say things that they haven’t checked.

    “It’s not him (Ambode) that would have gone there to check; someone must have hurriedly said that and just in the bid to catch up, you hold on to anything.”

    According to the APC candidate, since his first exit from government office, he ensures that every year, he gives back to the society through his non-governmental organisation.

    “In fact, we’re doing something today at Eko Hotel for 5,000 or 6,000 kids. I go round and give to the poor. I’ve been training people and doing a lot in my senatorial district.

    “So, I give back to the poor. It’s ensuring that when we have the opportunity, a lot of people need our help and we can do it.

    “I go to various hospitals, various orphanages and I just give and give.

    “Those were the only times in my life that I ever passed through that hospital that was mentioned. I give to all other hospitals including that hospital. I have never ever been there before. And by the way, my wife is even a medical doctor,” he said.

    Sanwo-Olu added that his emergence as APC candidate was as a result of the party’s desire to avert the likelihood of vote-buying among delegates.

    He said, “APC took a decision way before the primary started and said it was going to us what they call direct primary.

    “Direct primary means that every card carrying member of the APC is going to have a say in who emerges at all of the spheres of positions, be it presidential, governorship, House of Representatives or House of Assembly.

    “It’s not the delegates system and we’ve seen the negatives of the delegates system. With the delegates system, you have 3,000 people locked up in a room and they choose the person who is going to be the governor. And they said — as discussed (earlier in the programme) — that is vote buying.

    “With 3,000 people, you know who they are. You can physically go to each one of them and say to each one of them, get me on board. And they said, no, it’s going to be direct primaries, meaning that if you have a one or two million card carrying members, you let all of them participate.”

    Speaking on his plans for development in the state, Sanwo-Olu recalled how a proposal he made to the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was unsuccessful.

    The APC candidate said, “When we were in government with Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) and (during) Obasanjo’s government, we made a proposal to create a Lagos-Ogun urban global city. We wanted to do a Lagos-Ogun city plan and I went to the federal executive cabinet. I did a presentation to them, as young as I was then in 2004 or so, and it was such a novel idea.

    “It’s like the typical way you see the kind of New York/New Jersey branding. And we said, ‘Let us all come together, pitch ideas together and let us see the growth of Lagos, get it Ogun State and we can have a normal, seamless growth.’ But it didn’t work. It was not even more of the government in Ogun.

    “It was actually the federal (government) because you needed that federal might. You needed that federal might to see it and let it work, and to bring about some approval that could let it work. And that is how development typically is supposed to be. Some of the conversations, we still need to have them.”

    He listed the five pillars of his manifesto to include traffic management and transportation, health and environment, education and technology, tourism and entertainment, and making Lagos a 21st century economic destination (infrastructure, housing and ease of doing business).

  • Agbaje raises alarm over demolition of campaign posters as Sanwo-Olu wishes him well

    The Lagos State gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Jimi Agbaje has raised an alarm over the destruction of his campaign posters and other materials.

    Agbaje made this known in a message posted on Twitter that the miscreants struck on Saturday morning as the governorship election campaign officially kicked off across the country.

    “Early this morning our boards were vandalized and removed just as campaign commenced. Some of our deployment staff were also threatened with violence and warned to desist,” he wrote.

     

     

    An irritated Agbaje urged Lagosians to stand against tyranny, saying “this is no ordinary election.”

     

    Recall that the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Babajide Sanwo-Olu had earlier wished Agbaje well.

    “I may not be able to wish you victory, but I definitely wish you well,” Sanwo-Olu wrote in a tweet on Friday.

     

     

     

    Both gubernatorial candidates attended a music concert organised by the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy, Lekki on Friday 30th of November, 2018.

     

     

    Agbaje will officially kick off his campaign on Saturday at Ultima Studios, Lekki.

     

  • BREAKING: Sanwo-Olu picks former contestant, Femi Hamzat as running mate

    The governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 elections, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has picked a fellow contestant in the primaries, Femi Hamzat as his running mate.
    Recall that Hamzat participated in the governorship primaries but later withdrew his candidacy in support of Sanwo-Olu’s ambition.
    Hamzat, a former Lagos Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, was one of the major contenders for the APC’s governorship ticket before he stepped down for Sanwo-Olu.
    When he stepped down, he said it was borne out of the greater good for Lagos than the benefit of an individual.
    “Having been part and parcel of the formulation and execution of various policies and programmes that transformed Lagos right from former governors Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola’s administrations, I strongly believe that Sanwo-Olu is equally rooted to fly our party’s flag in the 2019 elections.
    “I have no doubt that he is well placed and equipped to take Lagos to greater height, hence my stepping down for him,” he said.
    Sanwo-Olu went on to defeat incumbent governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in the party’s primary election and will battle Jimi Agbaje of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at next year’s polls.
    Hamzat made the announcement on his Facebook page today.

  • BREAKING: APC NWC finally declares Sanwo-Olu winner of Lagos governorship primaries [Video]

    BREAKING: APC NWC finally declares Sanwo-Olu winner of Lagos governorship primaries [Video]

    A panel of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Clement Ebri have declared Babajide Sanwo-Olu the winner of Lagos State governorship primary elections held on Tuesday 2 October after its initial insistence on the cancellation of the exercise.
    Lagos state incumbent Governor Akiwunmi Ambode polled 72, 901 while Sanwo-Olu polled 970,851 to emerge the party’s candidate going to the 2019 general elections.


    The Ebiri-led NWC that monitored the party’s governorship primary had earlier nullified the exercise held across the 20 local government areas of the state.
    Ebri, who addressed the press around 4:30 pm at Protea Hotel, Alausa, said the election could not have hold because the committee was still expecting the list of officials appointed to supervise the election.
    Later after his formal verdict, Ebri upheld the results of the primaries and declared Sanwo-Olu as winner.
    “Governor Akinwunmi Ambode 72,901 votes, the other aspirant, Babajide Sanwo-Olu 970,851. I Clement Ebri, the chairman Lagos governorship primary committee hereby declare Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the winner of that election. Thank you,” Ebri said.

    Prior to Ebri’s declaration of Sanwo-Olu as the party’s candidate in next year’s election, APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole maintained who briefed President Buhari on the election said “Everything that is being done (in Lagos) is done under the control of and supervision and direction of the NWC.”

    He added that measures were being taken to ensure the primary did not go violent.
    According to him, “Democracy doesn’t flourish with violence and Nigeria must begin to learn how to differ in opinion and in choice without fighting. And for me, I am excited that if we can do it in Lagos, we can do it anywhere.”
    The party chairman in Lagos, Tunde Balogun had earlier rejected the cancellation of the election result by the NWC and stood his ground, saying the previous cancellation position of the NWC will not stand.
    “I am the APC chairman for Lagos State and I cannot disenfranchise about 1.5 million people that took part in this exercise all over the state. It will be unfair and unjust to do so,” Balogun said.
    He told reporters, “The election stands because it was conducted according to the constitution of the party. A large number of you were at the different venues where it held. The primary took place in all the 245 wards and it was peaceful,”
    “Or did you experience violence anywhere? Not a single case of violence was recorded. It was peaceful, fair and transparent. It was not secretive; it was direct primary and that is what we did.”
    Asked about the NWC’s concern with guidelines, he answered: “What guidelines are you talking about? The basic tool for direct primary is to have people accredited.
    Once that is done, you count the numbers of those that have decided to queue behind any aspirant of their choice.”
    The party consequently announced Sanwo-Olu as the winner of the primary yesterday.

  • Lagos APC Primaries: Rejection of Ambode for Sanwo-Olu beyond me – Tinubu [Video]

    Lagos APC Primaries: Rejection of Ambode for Sanwo-Olu beyond me – Tinubu [Video]

    The national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the decision by the party in Lagos to deny incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode second ticket is beyond him.
    Recall that governorship primary to decide who flies the party’s ticket in the election next year is still ongoing.
    However, results from most local government areas show the party’s anointed, Jide Sanwo-Olu is leading the governor comfortably.
    Sanwo-Olu is believed to be enjoying the support of Tinubu and the entire party structure in Lagos.
    Watch Tinubu addressing the press after voting in his ward today: