Why APC Leaders Shunned Fashola's Book Launch – Ajomale

In an interview with The SUN, Chairman, APC, Lagos State, Chief Henry Ajomale stated Lagosians will see the other side of Governor Akinwumi Ambode very soon. Following fears being expressed that Lagos State is gradually returning to its old chaotic days with recent surge in crime and other vices, he assured Lagosians that sanity will return to the mega city within the next few weeks.
Excerpts from The Sun:

“It is not as if Ambode is weak or not capable of stepping into Fashola’s shoes, but he believed in being civil with Lago­sians, but now that it is obvious that some Lagosians are now abusing that civility, in the next few weeks Lagosians will see the other side of Ambode as he is determined to restore sanity and also ensure that La­gos State remained Centre of Excellence,” Ajomale stated.

He spoke with TUNDE THOMAS on other national issues including the reasons why the party leaders boycotted the recent book launch by former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola. Excerpts:

Some people have raised alarm that resurgence in crime and oth­er social vices in Lagos State in the last three months is portray­ing Governor Akinwumi Ambode as not showing traits of somebody capable of stepping into the big shoes left behind by his predeces­sor, Babatunde Fashola, as law­lessness has returned to many parts of Lagos, what is your reac­tion?

I don’t agree. I believe Ambode is on track. What I can say is that the blame should be put on some Lagosians who are abusing the good nature of the governor. Ambode wanted to treat Lagosians like real human beings, and that is why it appears as if he has been taking it easy with Lagosians. His own belief is that Lagosians are mature people, and that government needs not to be too strict with them. He thought that Lago­sians must have imbibed a new spirit, and a new reawakening carried over from Fasho­la’s era which would have ensured that ex­cellence put in place by Fashola continued, but most Lagosians through their actions have betrayed Ambode.

This is very disappointing. See okada riders, they are back in large number going beyond where they were restricted to. They are now virtually everywhere, constituting an eyesore. What about the BRT lanes? The lanes have now become an all-comer affairs with danfo drivers, okada riders and even military officers in uniform shamelessly driving on BRT lanes.

Ambode wanted to be civil with Lago­sians, but now that some Lagosians have betrayed that trust, Lagosians will soon see a new Ambode. They will see the other side of him. Our party, APC, is not happy with these few misguided unpatriotic elements that are violating the laws.

Now with the cabinet in place, sanity will be restored. We will not fold our hands while hoodlums and other dubious elements constitute themselves into a nuisance.

Ambode has assured us about his inten­tion to deal with this problem. If you say you want to treat people as mature and adult men and women, but they prefer to be treat­ed like animals, then you apply the law on them. Lagos will not stop to remain centre of excellence as it was under Tinubu and Fashola. Ambode will take Lagos to greater heights. The governor will not turn Lagos into a jungle. In the next few weeks, Lago­sians will see a change.

There is allegation that there is a crack within APC in Lagos State, and some of the points made to back it up was that the party’s voice was hardly heard when for­mer governor Babatunde Fashola was in the storm of N78 million website fraud allegation and that APC leaders also stayed away from Fashola’s book launch, what is your reaction to this?

We know people behind all these stories – some belong to PDP while others called themselves True Face of Lagos. They are noise makers. What they couldn’t gain during the election they now want to get through the back door.

APC remains ever united. We are not polarized, and we have been speaking with one voice. Fashola not only came out to de­fend himself, we as a party also came out supporting the governor. We vouched for Fashola’s integrity. We stood by him. Fas­hola deserves respect, we should not deny him respect.

As for the book launch, APC lead­ers didn’t stay away or boycott the launch. What happened was this, the writers of the book didn’t invite us. I was not given any invitation. I later heard about the pro­gramme on the radio.

If I had been invited I would have been there. I’m equally sure that many other leaders of the party were not given invita­tions. Look, I have the right to invite any­body I like to my event. But I believe it is an oversight on the part of the organizers not to have involved APC in the programme.

We were very embarrassed by the way those writers handled the event. If they had brought invitation cards to the party secre­tariat, I would have mobilized other party members for the event.

Fashola has not offended any of us. We bear no animosity towards him. He is still a member of APC and there is nothing we can do as a party without inviting him. Fashola is a leader of the party in Lagos. We are still all together.

And for those insinuating that all may not be rosy between Fashola and Tinubu, and that may be the reason why APClead­ers stayed away from the book launch, it is all lies. Tinubu has openly come out to say that Fashola is his son and that he has nothing against him. Some of those people sponsoring all these lies are our opponents who are bitter by the electoral defeat they suffered. But no matter how hard they tried, they won’t succeed in their wicked plan to divide us.

With the result of last elec­tion, PDP appeared to be gaining ground, and some people are say­ing the party might turn the table against APC in the next election, what is your view on this?

PDP is going nowhere. Lagosians know the party that will serve their interests bet­ter. Since 1999, PDP has been trying all manner of moves, but APC has been defeat­ing the party starting from AD years. La­gosians can’t trust PDP. Even look at how the party almost run the country aground at the federal level before the divine inter­vention and APC came to the rescue. Forget those names, Bode George, Adeseye Ogun­lewe, Musiliu Obanikoro – these are paper weights. In the past, they used to deceive their masters in Abuja that they can do and undo, but now that their last master in Abu­ja had met his political waterloo, where are they going again? Who are they going to deceive again? They are all going into po­litical oblivion.

The leadership crisis in the Sen­ate is still lingering, what is the way out? Some have even accused Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of having a hand in it because of his vested in­terest?

The problem is not difficult to resolve. Let all parties involved respect party su­premacy, then you have solution.

How can an individual be greater than the platform through which he or she got elected to office? It is insubordination for Saraki to have disobeyed APC leadership on the issue. His action amounts to rebel­lion against the party. His action has al­ready created damage to the party. In the days of Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and late Sardauna of Sokoto during the NPC, NCNC, and AG years, it would never hap­pen, it is either you conform to the party’s directives or find your way out of the par­ty. No individual is bigger or greater than the party. APC leadership should wield the stick against any erring member.

I don’t know why Tinubu’s name is being linked to the crisis. Everybody knows that it was Saraki’s action that triggered the crisis, let Saraki do the needful, then peace will return to APC.

I don’t know why people should continue to link everything to Tinubu, if somebody sneezes, it is Tinubu, if somebody catches cold it is Tinubu, I think we should let the man have his peace.

Some people have described Bu­hari as being slow in his approach to governance, with the former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa reportedly saying that if Buhari continues this way, that former President Goodluck Jonathan might end up being rated better, do you agree?

It is unfortunate that Nigerians are be­ing impatient. Buhari, to me, has started very well, and is on course. He has been steady. What many people fail to realize is that a lot of damage was done to this coun­try under PDP leadership of 16 years at the federal level, so Buhari has to be very meticulous in whatever he is doing, and I believe that he is getting it right.

As far as Balarabe Musa is concerned, he is an elderstatesman, so I don’t want to take on him, but Nigerians should not for­get that Balarabe Musa is a perennial critic. He always criticize and protest against any government in power. He will ever remain a critic. There was a report that when he was in office that he even joined a group of protesters to protest against his own gov­ernment. He was also criticizing his own government.

Let’s give Buhari a chance to move Nige­ria forward. The job before him is enormous we should not distract him unnecessarily.