Ahead of the 2019 general election, politicians in Lagos State are not leaving any stone unturned to protect there interest in next year elections. While some politicians and incumbent public office holders have already declared their interest to contest their respective parties primary elections, other are still consulting before launching their nets in the ocean.
At present there is a serious scrambling for National Assembly seats in the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) as some federal and state lawmakers in Lagos State are trying to outsmart one another to represent their senatorial and federal constituencies in the Ninth Assembly. New Telegraph gathered from multiple sources that some members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have declared their intention to run for House of Representatives and senatorial seats in next year elections. And this decision has made the state lawmakers to be at loggerheads with incumbent members of National Assembly.
Investigation by New Telegraph revealed that the clamour by some constituents that incumbent members of the Lagos State House of Assembly who have spent about three to four terms should step down for new candidates to come on board forced many of the incumbent state lawmakers to declare their interest for federal legislative seats for them to remain relevant in Lagos State politics. While the decision of the lawmakers to step up was celebrated in some quarters, the move caused division among some party leaders in some constituency, especially in constituencies where incumbent members of National Assembly are just serving their first term.
“Some members of the House of Assembly having spent about three to four times in the house believe that they should give other people chance and that is why some of them have declared their interest for the National Assembly seat. And these development has pitched them against some member of the House of Representatives seat who are also nursing the ambition of returning in 2019,” a reliable source told New Telegraph.
Investigations by New Telegraph revealed that some of the local governments where the federal and state lawmakers are at loggerheads over the battle for National Assembly for 2019 general elections are; Epe, Ifako- Ijaiye, Kosofe and Mushin, among others. Hon. Bayo Osinowo, representing Kosofe I has joined the race for Lagos East Senatorial District. The lawmaker is among the APC aspirants trying to slot the senatorial ticket with the incumbent, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, who has been in the Senate since 2011. Senator Ashafa is aspiring to go for third term in 2019. Osinowo, who is popularly known as ‘Pepper’ is the leader of APC in Kosofe Local Government Area and one of the core loyalists of APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
He is one of the oldest member in the Lagos State House of Assembly, having being elected into the legislative chamber in 2003. Apart from Osinowo, other state lawmakers who have already declared their interest to run for House of Representatives seats are Hon. Segun Olulade and Dayo Saka Fafunmi; while some are still consulting with the party leaders.
There are also speculation that Hon. Funmi Tejuoso may soon join the race for Mushin I Federal Constituency race. Olulade representing Epe State Constituency II has already commenced his campaign to run for Epe Federal Constituency to ouster the incumbent Hon. Olawale Raji who is a first termer in the Green Chamber.
The lawmaker has strategically positioned himself in Epe politics and he is very close to the power brokers in the area.Fafunmi publicly declared his interest for the Green Chamber during a get together held in February to celebrate his 48th birthday. His decision will pitch him against Hon. Akinwunmi Olaitan, who he worked tirelessly for during the 2016 Ifako Ijaiye by-election. Apart from the state and federal lawmakers who are skimming for the House of Representatives seats, some incumbent federal lawmakers are also facing tough challenge from some members of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s kitchen cabinet as well as APC chieftains in some local governments.
With the present state of things in the party, political analysts believe that the battle for the National Assembly seats is going to be a tough fights among the aspirants, who are doing everything possible to get the supports of the party’s members who will determine their faith during the party primary elections. With the introduction of direct primary for election of all APC candidates as declared by Tinubu during the Lagos APC stakeholders’ meeting held few days ago at the party’s secretariat in Acme, Ikeja, the party members will play crucial role in the choice of APC’s candidates for 2019 elections unlike in the past when the party’s candidates emerged through delegates system. Knowing the important of the party members at the primary election, the aspirants, especially those who are Muslims, showered the APC members with gifts during the last Eid-el-Kabir celebration. With the ongoing scenario in APC, people are watching with keen interest, what will become of the supremary battle between the state and federal lawmakers for APC National Assembly tickets.
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