Akinwumi Ambode, the immediate past governor of Lagos state, who has been in hiatus following his failed re-election bid, appears to have returned t
Akinwumi Ambode, the immediate past governor of Lagos state, who has been in hiatus following his failed re-election bid, appears to have returned to the political scene fully energised and ready for the politicking of 2023 elections.
Ambode was rendered politically irrelevant after he fell out with his godfather, Bola Tinubu, the powerful figure controlling Lagos behind the shadows.
There were speculations that the fallout was caused by Ambode’s attempt to clip his godfather’s wings by limiting Tinubu’s access to the state’s resources.
He was said to have done this using Alpha Beta, the consulting firm tasked with the computation and reconciliation of the state’s internally-generated revenue.
Despite being the incumbent governor, he lost at the primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Babajide Sanwo-olu, a political greenhorn at the time.
Ambode once called his successor, a psychiatric patient who lacked the mental capacity to lead Lagos.
According to the then governor, Sanwo-Olu got arrested by American police after he was caught recklessly spending fake dollars in a nightclub in the U.S.
While addressing a world press conference in September 2018, Ambode said “This is somebody that has gone for rehabilitation before. The records are there at the Gbagada General Hospital. This particular aspirant is someone who has been arrested for spending fake dollars in a nightclub in America, and he was detained for months. He doesn’t have the competence to do what he is being propelled to do,” Mr Ambode had said.
Urging his party members not to vote for Sanwo-olu, he said “We don’t want to go too far. Our leadership should have a rethink.”
Still, Ambode lost the party’s primary ticket as Tinubu threw his full weight behind Mr Sanwo-olu, telling his cronies to do the same. Following Ambode’s sacking, the former governor vanished from the political scene, ceasing to appear in meetings and informal gatherings.
However, the ex-governor’s twitter account which had only four tweets ever since his defeat in 2019, came alive on Tuesday with a vibrant energy for politicking in 2023.
In his tweets, he thanked supporters for their “endorsement” and urged the electorate to get their voter cards ahead of the elections.
“After all we have been through, God has been faithful. Thank you for the overwhelming endorsement of our modest contributions to the growth of Lagos. It can only get better for Lagos, and indeed Nigeria,” tweeted Ambode.
“The youths are coming. The power is in their hands. Go and get your Permanent Voters Card (PVC) ready. Your future is NOW!” the former governor added.
It remains unclear if Ambode would be contesting against his successor, who has been dancing to the tune of his godfather, to secure his support.
A cross section of Nigerian accused Sanwo-Olu of complicity in covering up the massacre of EndSARS protesters in Lekki on October 20, 2020, with many youths vowing to vote out the present governor on several social platforms.
