Why I reached out to Igbo voters –Ambode, Lagos APC governorship candidate

In this interview with DAYO OKETOLA andGBENRO ADEOYE, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, said he is more experienced than the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, to govern the state.

Have you recovered from the shock of the recent election in Lagos State, which saw a close contest between your party, All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party?

I’m not sure it’s appropriate to use the word — shock. Let’s go back in history: in the 2011 elections, the President and PDP recorded 1.3 million votes in Lagos State. So for PDP to have recorded about 670,000 votes in 2015 actually means that it lost over 800,000 votes when you compare the two elections. That’s the way to look at it. Fewer people actually voted for him in Lagos State this time around. That’s the way I want to look at it. Maybe the other part is to say that the margin between APC and PDP was not much. We looked at the conduct of elections in relation to how the Independent National Electoral Commission performed. In Lagos State, you will see that in most areas, a whole lot of Lagos residents were disenfranchised due to no fault of theirs which could explain the number that came out to vote eventually. Also note that there were apprehensions before the last election; the whole place was militarised and everyone felt there would be violence and that it would not be safe. That could also account for why a whole lot of people kept away from the streets and did not come out to vote. I believe strongly that we will see a different pattern in the governorship elections.

Igbo community in Lagos seemed to have voted for PDP and seems to be gaining ground politically in the state. Are you worried about the challenge posed by this population in the state?

We need to quickly correct something, there is nothing like Igbo challenge. Every Nigerian living in any part of Nigeria is free to exercise his or her right and according to their choice. We have not seen any pattern evolving like that in Lagos State. So if a pattern is evolving in a particular area, we need to start analysing it. That has not been analysed yet so there is nothing like Igbo challenge. What we see is that people will stand up and vote for whoever they like. And like I told you, it wasn’t as if there was any pattern that was shown in 2011. We will see what happens next Saturday.

Are you saying the margin between PDP votes and APC votes will be wider on April 11 in your favour?

Absolutely. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan won the presidential election by a very wide margin. 1.3 million to almost 200,000 votes but in the Lagos State governorship election, Governor Babatunde Fashola won with 1.5 million votes as against 200,000 votes of the PDP candidate. It was a reversal of the presidential situation. But it’s going to repeat itself next Saturday.

But the feeler we got is that between the last presidential election and now, APC has quickly made overtures to the Igbo community in Lagos. Is this not true?

Yes, this is politics. You talk to everybody because you want to bring them to your camp. You don’t just sit down and say that a particular set of people did not vote for your party in an election, then you will close your eyes and leave them so they can vote against your party in another election. So I will strategise and try as much as possible to talk to those who did not vote for APC and convince them of the reasons why they need to vote for us. For me, there is no tribal votes in Lagos. The state is too cosmopolitan for that. People have their choices and their interests. As of that last Saturday, some people voted to protect their interests. When it’s time for the next election, they will review it again and to protect their future interests, they will vote in a different direction. And that is the way we think it is going to happen.

We hear that the Igbo community in the state is actually trying to protect its future interests. Governor Fashola allegedly deported some of their kinsmen two years ago and they are reportedly planning to retaliate against the party with their votes to prevent another experience like that in future.

It will be unfair to say that they are retaliating or offended by whatever was done by anybody. There is no truth in talks that the governor has been unfair to any tribe in the state. His policies and all the infrastructure being provided in the state are for everybody. There is nowhere you find a bridge he provided for the use of only Yoruba people. The infrastructure is for everybody, so to say that somebody has been unfair to Igbo is unfair. The next four years is about Akin Ambode and we are giving assurance that every person in Lagos will count. It is a government of inclusion. We are not going to be tribalistic in terms of the provision of infrastructure. If there are any ill feelings, I just want to assuage their fears and tell them that this is a government of inclusion. Nobody will be left behind and they can be assured that everybody’s interest will be protected.

When is the light rail going to be delivered, the project seems to be going on for years?

I just said it, it’s being funded by Lagos State and the Federal Government support is not there. But I believe strongly that we will create a financial restructuring that will allow us to deliver that light rail within the next 18 months.

You spoke about the traffic situation which you described as unacceptable. Is that not an indictment on the current administration in Lagos State?

No! No! No! let me tell you, there is nothing like indictment. Go to New York or the major cosmopolitan cities in the world, there is always traffic. Nobody wants to even stay in New York if there is a chance to be in other parts of America. As structured as London is, it still imposes congestion charges to allow fewer cars to be on the road. So ours is not different. What is important is for us to be able to create traffic management solutions that will be efficient and effective. And beyond our roads, we have created other modes of transportation which we are already addressing. People can go on the waterways. Once the light rail project is completed, that will take a whole lot of people off the road. Then because we also have the centre, do you know what it means to now activate the monorail. Because we will now be working with the Federal Government to be able to use the monorail from our Iddo Terminus to other parts of Lagos. That is a plus for us.

The programmes you have highlighted are things you can achieve if you win the election. But presently, artisans, okada riders (commercial motorcyclists) and market women are not happy with the APC government in Lagos. What are you doing to to change their perception?

I’m not too sure of the fact that all the artisans want to vote for the opposition party.

Actually, this set of people have described the APC government in Lagos as elitist.

Two things now. I will explain why this government is not elitist and I will tell you why this government is about the artisans. As we speak, 90 per cent of the working class of Lagos State are artisans. And that means that a lot of people in Lagos are actually in the informal sector. Everything we have done in the last 16 years is about them. It’s about lifting them up and making life more comfortable for them. The basic thing that artisans are looking for is an enabling environment for their enterprises to thrive; they want the ability to move from one point to the other and to have a secure place for them to trade and do their businesses. We have done all these mostly in the last eight years. We have created the BRT; we have lit up almost every part of the major streets to allow people to be safer. You cannot compare the security status of Lagos in 2007 to what it is now. People are moving freely. I just want to assure the artisans that anything that we have provided in terms of infrastructure does not preclude artisans from using them. All the roads they use in transporting their goods were made for them. There is nothing on the roads that says that only elites can use them. We have been giving them facilities and even as part of my programme, I have decided that I will have a small scale credit guarantee scheme for artisans. We are going to improve on vocational training and skills acquisition for artisans. My project that talks about tourism, hospitality, entertainment and sports is to create that lower level generation of work for carpenters, makeup artists, tailors, drivers, security men and others. That’s where I’m going. It’s not about the directors. Yes, I will allow a climate that allows investors to put money here and put the structures in place, but it will also create more room for people in the lower level and that is where my target is.

You say our government is elitist. I want to tell you today that the most expensive project in Lagos right now is the 10 lane road project from Mile 2 to Badagry. The light rail project that will be moving people from Mile 2 to CMS. it’s situated on the Mainland. It’s not in the urban part of Lagos, not in Victoria Island. Do you know that the people in Mile 2, Okokomaiko, Mazamaza, Ajangbadi, Badagry and Festac axis are the ones that will benefit from this. The road being constructed between Mile 12 and Ikorodu makes life more comfortable for the people living there; these are not elite. So it is absolutely wrong to say that this government is elitist. The projects that are being done on the Island are even to allow people to have freer access to move from the Mainland to the Island. So I don’t agree with that. The projects are more about the Lagosians than anybody else.

You left public service at age 49 but what people generally think is that there is more to the story. Some people say you were sacked from government. Is this true?

It’s very good I use this platform to clear whatever insinuations that are being bandied about. When you do something that is not normal, people want to adduce reasons to it because it’s abnormal to them. I’ve heard in some quarters people saying that I was sacked by Governor Fashola and I’ve also heard that I stole and that was why I left the service. The issue is this; if I was sacked or if I stole, this campaign would have been a great opportunity for those people to bring the issues out and use them against me. We are approaching the end of this campaign and nobody has been able to bring out the sack letter or say this is what I stole. So I see it as a campaign of calumny against my candidature. The other part of it is this: I have in my hands a letter of commendation written by Governor Fashola four months after I retired. I’ve displayed it for people to see. Governor Fashola is still in power. Journalists can ask him if he wrote a commendation letter to me or not. Did you sack him? Did he steal? This will put it to an end forever. I have served Lagos State meritoriously. I left an exalted position in service, where I had the opportunity to stay for another 13 years. But I wanted to challenge the system and say you know what, you don’t have to stay in an exalted position forever. There is dignity everywhere and people of character must be able to stand up and be counted. That’s what I’ve done. I left on my own volition because I wanted to give other people a chance, because I know also that there are other things ahead of the position of Accountant-General. That’s why I’m contesting for governorship. So we need to let our people know. We have a few days to the election, if anybody has anything, let them bring it out. It’s not true. I also have a letter of voluntary retirement from the Lagos State Civil Service Commission which the commission gave to me and it is well documented. So if other parties just want to use it to diminish my status, God has said that I will be the next Governor of Lagos State and that’s why I’m appealing and pleading with voters to vote for people with character, credibility and experience.

Many aspirants wanted the APC governorship ticket in Lagos State but the feeler is that the primaries were manipulated to your advantage.

Thirteen aspirants contested but there will always be one candidate. The party made the primaries as open as possible. We had over 5,000 delegates. These delegates were not ghosts, they are human beings like you and I. They came out and decided individually and it was televised. Each delegate had the choice to choose one of the 13 candidates. We were not standing there with the delegates so how on earth was it possible to manipulate the process? Nobody stood there with them. They were there individually. It’s just the same way we went out last Saturday to make our choices. And then when the votes were counted, they said GMB won. Similarly on that day, when the votes were counted, they said I won. Now the issue is this, I did not in anyway say that delegates should not vote for other aspirants. The delegates made up their minds and we have to respect their choice. That is as far as that goes.

But we hear the party leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, favoured you and that he worked things out for you for him to benefit. Are you going to be Tinubu’s stooge if you become the governor?

This whole idea that the former governor of Lagos favoured me… Everybody has a choice to favour anybody he or she likes; the same way that it will be said that Bola Ahmed Tinubu favoured Fashola in 2006. The same way that it will be said that he also favoured Buhari in the presidential election. It’s his choice. It’s not as if people are coerced to vote for Buhari, Fashola or Ambode. But what is the resultant effect? The resultant effect of him supporting Fashola is what the whole of Lagos state is enjoying today and has been enjoying in the last eight years. The last election was peaceful particularly because we were not being forced, but people went to choose Buhari. That is it. But again, it’s the same man that supported and endorsed Buhari. If a man has a knack for choosing excellent people that he knows will be beneficial to Nigerians and he is consistently doing it at the local, state and national levels, come on, he is an unsung hero. We have to give it to him. We cannot continue to bastardise our heroes.
Everybody is saying Nigeria is peaceful now and that we have Buhari, but some people stood there to support him. This is a man laying his life down as sacrifice so that Nigeria can be peaceful. We are not seeing that part of it. Check my profile and my antecedents, do you remember the time that Lagos State created new local governments and the Olusegun Obasanjo government held on to Lagos State funds. Some people stood on behalf of Lagos State to say that those local governments must be created. Some people stood and said that we would recreate the financial template that would allow these local governments to survive. We were no stooges then. We were fighting the cause of Lagosians. Today, we have 57 local government chairmen and more people are being employed. The financial fortune of Lagos State is on the rise. We were not stooges then. We have sacrificed so much, we have served and want to continue to serve, so it’s now that we are going to be stooges. It’s not going to happen because we believe strongly in the prosperity of Lagos State so what people are saying outside is because they want to becloud the ability of Lagos State to prosper more. We stood when it was tough. It’s tough now, we will still stand. We believe in the larger vision to make Lagos State the best of all states. We want to be like the rest of developed cities; that is the vision.

You spoke highly about your chances but have you considered that some of the aspirants that lost out to you at the primaries are said to still be aggrieved?

Naturally, that is a human thing but the truth is that as we speak, all aspirants are members of the APC. They are on the winning side and we have all come together. It’s not about my candidacy and everyone has come to agree that the future of the party overrides any individual interest. You would have seen the aspirants coming out to campaign for us openly, soliciting for votes for the party. There is no aspirant right now that will be working against the interest of the party.

People say the wind of change is blowing across the country. PDP was in power at the federal level for 16 years and people wanted change and voted the party out. In Lagos, ACN/APC has been in power for 16 years also and people are also talking about change. Are you scared that the wind of change could come to Lagos on Saturday?

The change we have been talking about is positive change because change could also be negative. The changes you will see in Lagos will be for the positive wellbeing of our people; that is our own concept of change. What ordinary Lagosians are concerned about is better life. So the change you will see here is that positive change that will make life comfortable for the people.

The PDP governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, said he would review the alleged wrongful sale of public properties to APC cronies in Lagos. Are you going to investigate the allegation if you get to power?

You have just used the word ‘alleged’. Sometimes candidates come and say all sorts of things to win votes. At this point, somebody that has been in politics for so long and all that he is saying is that properties were sold and he doesn’t have evidence or documents. Is it when he gets there that he will now start asking questions and then find out that what he was saying is not true. So just leave it, we will not respond to things people say are allegations. I’m not going to mislead Lagosians to start saying things wrongly about others just because I want their votes. You have to be factual and sincere. When it is time to do things, you do them. I’m not going to respond to allegations about that when he doesn’t have any facts. You know they also said I was sacked from service but they don’t have any paper to prove that. I’ve produced the paper to show that I retired from service voluntarily. That is a statement of fact.

Speaking for the students, Governor Fashola increased tuition fees at the Lagos State University, Ojo and reverted to the original fees as election approached. People feel it was a gimmick to win votes. If you’re elected, are you going to jack it up again?

We are not going to increase school fees anywhere; they are pegged where they are but what we will do is to invest more in education. This is a centre of excellence. I’ve had the opportunity of going to good schools and Ivy league schools. It’s my responsibility to make my tertiary institutions up to the standard of the ones I attended. I want to invest more in education and it won’t have anything to do with their school fees.

Even okada riders are all over the place now and people say it’s another gimmick not to arrest them during this period. Is this another election strategy?

I’m not aware of that. In our engagements with them, they want us to review some of the roads in schedule two (where their movements have been restricted) and we have told them that it is what the law says. The law enforcement people will deal with that situation.

There is no gimmick in what is happening. There are over 9,500 roads in Lagos State and the ones in whichokada riders are restricted are just 400 plus roads. So they still have over 9,000 roads. Look, it’s not as ifokada has been banished from Lagos roads. The law says they cannot ply some roads which are less than 5 per cent of the total number of roads in the state.

Has it ever occurred to you at any point in time that you could lose this election?

Not at all. We have worked hard. I’ve been working in the last two and a half years. I had the most gruesome primaries when nobody ever gave me a chance. I came out early and they said I was going to burn out but here I am still standing. God will see me through.

We hear you would actually have preferred Musiliu Obanikoro to Agbaje because you see Agbaje as a greater threat. Is that true?

It’s very straight forward. After the presidential election, you can see where the trend is going. Let me tell you, Mr. Agbaje is my brother and I have a lot of respect for him but unfortunately, he’s in a wrong party. I can tell you for free. He’s moved from one party to another in the last how many years. So he will be contesting with a more experienced and competent person. When you check the profile of the other candidate (Agbaje), you will see that he has not done anything for Lagos State. It can’t be now. I wish him well but the truth is that somebody has to be the CEO and it has to be me. If this was not an election and we were facing a panel of interviewers for the job of the CEO of Lagos State, you bring your experience and the panelists will ask who is the better man for this job? The public should situate things as if they are employing someone for the position of the CEO of Lagos State. Think of the possibilities of what Lagos will be getting with a Buhari as President.

You say the APC government in Lagos is not elitist but residents in areas like Ayobo and Egan wonder why places like Victoria Island and Surulere have better roads?

It’s more from you journalists. The number of projects we have in Meiran, Ayobo is what we have in VI but because you all work around urban areas, you don’t seem to see or report those ones. Go to Meiran, it’s a dual road, it wasn’t like that before. Constructions are ongoing at Ikotun axis. Ejigbo wasn’t like it is today four years ago. This government is for the poor, for the ordinary Lagosian. It’s about liberating our people, it’s about their welfare and security.

Some of the feelers we get is that residents of Ibeju-Lekki are likely to vote against your party in the next elections because they say that APC government keeps taking their land.

Nobody has taken anybody’s land. What you are saying is not true. Check the last election results, APC won in Ibeju-Lekki, APC also won in Epe. The mere fact that we have assured them as a party that their interests will be taken care of is why they are going with APC. It’s about their development. In that axis alone, we have the export processing zone in Lekki, deep sea port in Lekki also and an international airport in Epe. What does that say about future development? There will be new developments and new towns. It’s about the future and prosperity for that axis.