by Kolapo Olapoju

At the declaration ceremony for the governorship of Lagos state by Musiliu Obanikoro, YNaija spoke to two individuals who are prominent in the campaign by the Senator to become the next governor of Lagos.

Demola Rewaju, writer and activist, who is one of the facilitators and organizers of the Koronation movement, spoke about the difference Senator Obanikoro hopes to make if elected Governor. He also harped at length about the ‘Bola Tinubu’ factor as being detrimental to the development of Lagos state.

What does Senator Obanikoro bring to the table?

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro brings to the table a lot of experience. He has been in politics since 1992 and he has been an active participant in politics and has held several positions, and as a matter of fact, there is no one in the APC and PDP in Lagos who is more experienced than Obanikoro. He has held many positions in both the executive and legislative. He has been Chairman of local government, he has been a Senator and most recently, he has been a minister of the federal republic. There is no gainsaying that Obanikoro is indeed the most experienced of all the candidates and that experience will show at the polls next year.

What will he do differently, if elected Governor of Lagos state?

I think the first thing that anyone knows will happen is that the moment you kick APC out of power, the Bourdillon factor, the Jagaban factor, the Bola Tinubu factor will no longer be in politics, and if that is not there, 40% of the problems of Lagos state will have been solved. Like the senator said in an interview on STV, any contract that is approved in Lagos first goes through Bourdillon. There are facts to back it. The Lagos state government pays N22 billion every year to ‘Alpha Beta consulting’, and it is allegedly owned by Tinubu. Democracy is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people, but what you have in Lagos is a government of Jagaban by Jagaban and for Jagaban. Fashola does not owe you and I any loyalty. He owes his loyalty to Jagaban because he knows that he was the one who brought him in. Obanikoro, being a different candidate is not only there to remove the Jagaban factor, but also to put in place a government of the people by the people.

What are PDP’s chances of winning?

PDP’s chances of winning Lagos are very bright. If you talk to anyone in Lagos, they will tell you that Lagosians are tired of APC, and there is no better alternative in this race than Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. In one week’s time, we will be having the primaries. Between now and then, major candidates are going to step down for Obanikoro.

Ohimai Godwin Amaize, popularly known as ‘Mr Fix Nigeria’, the Special Assistant (Media & Strategy) to Musiliu Obanikoro, was rather blunt in his comments, saying that APC’s rule of Lagos in the last 16 years has been a waste, while also accusing the party of creating the “violent persona” of Obanikoro.

What are Obanikoro’s chances of winning PDP’s primaries?

I am very confident that Senator Obanikoro will win the primaries because of his pedigree as a grassroots politician because politics is a game of numbers. He has done his homework and mobilization properly at the level of the grassroots, and its the representatives from the grassroots that will vote at the primaries. I am confident that he is going to win.

If he eventually wins the primaries, what is being done to avoid a repeat of the last time Obanikoro ran for office?

The context in 2015 is quite different from the context in 2007. One of which is the fact that the ruling party in lagos state is disunited and they are finding it difficult to agree on how to go about their primaries and who will eventually emerge, and that is why internal crisis is going on in their party right now and it is likely going to lead to a dislocation in their political structure. Apart from that, Lagosians are tired of 16 years of the APC and they don’t have anything practical to show for it, other than their projects and programmers that are elitist and targeted at just a few. The government of Lagos state in the last 16 years has not been able to justify the funds that it has generated, based on the projects it has been able to do within this period of time. So Lagosians are beginning to see that it is more like a window dressing government. Their isn’t really substance to what they say they have down. It is just media hype. Can you in good conscience say that there is a world class medical center in Laogs? Can you say that there is any government owned school in Lagos that meets the United Nations standard? Obanikoro, being a product of the grassroots has a more people oriented governance style, and that is one more thing he is going to bring to Lagos.

The Oba of Lagos recently declared that PDP will never rule Lagos. What does Koronation think about the comments?

The Oba is an individual, who is entitled to his opinion. I’d like to leave the true test of influence to the outcome of the elections. A lot can be said before the elections, but the outcome will reveal who has the true influence. I am sure that even the king knows that the APC has not done well for Lagos.

Their are allegations from some quarters that the PDP may be planning to militarize Lagos state when election commences.

The allegations of the militarization is very characteristic of the APC. Propaganda. The so-called militarization happened in Edo state, and Oshiomole emerged governor, but the APC didn’t cry about it then. The same thing happened in Ekiti and Fayose won, and even the US and UN observes adjudged the election as free and fair. The same thing happened in Osun and APC won, and Obanikoro was one of the first people to congratulate Aregbesola. So, it’s all lies, propaganda and blackmail. The APC should focus on running a campaign that is based on issues. If they can do that and convince Lagosians that the last 16 years hasn’t been a waste, then Lagosians will vote for them. Compared to the resources the APC has had to work with, the last 16 years has been a waste. I am very sure PDP will emerge as the ruling party of Lagos state, because the people want a change in the state. The people are tired of the status quo. The people are tired of a state that is run by just one individual. They are tired of a government that is focused on a few, rich individuals that live in Lekki, Ikoyi and Victoria Island. The people are tired of an elitist-driven government. They want a government they can feel, a government that does not overburden them with taxes and tolls. If a government cannot provide roads for its people, without asking them to pay for it, then there is a disparity.

Obanikoro is perceived as having a violent persona among many people. Won’t that affect his chances?

The APC knows that Obanikoro is their biggest threat. They created the violent reputation of Obanikoro. Have you ever heard of them attacking any other aspirant in PDP Lagos? The only person they go after is Obanikoro because they see him as the biggest threat to them. He’s been with them and he understands their tactics. He’s been in governance and he has a pedigree that is very intimidating. If he was violent, you would know. You would have seen someone who saw him commit a violent act.