The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Tunde Balogun on Wednesday declared that the fate of the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and that of other members of the party in the state will be decided by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Balogun disclosed this in a chat with journalists, adding that the party would be fair to the three governorship aspirants in the state who have already declared their intention to fly the party’s flag in the 2019 general elections.

The other two aspirants challenging Ambode for the APC’s governorship ticket are Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Managing Director of Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC) and an associate of former  Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Hamzat Ambode.

This is even as Governor Ambode also on Wednesday played down speculations of a rift between him and Tinubu over his second term bid, claimingd that reports of a feud between him and Tinubu were out of place.

His words: “What is happening in Lagos State is democracy in action. You can’t trample on people’s right; you can’t stop anybody from contesting. It is their constitutional and individual right to contest whether the party wants it or not. It is left for members of the party to decide.

“The party members will participate in choosing the candidate and we are going to use the direct primary. All the three governorship aspirants are going to participate in the primary. If three people have taken forms, it means members of the party will decide who they want because APC is a disciplined party.”

 

On whether the party’s leadership will support any of the governorship aspirants, Balogun said: “We have a stabilizing force in Asiwaju Tinubu. He has been a reliable leader and he has delivered on many occasions.

“So, he is a man that can be trusted and relied upon. He is dependable and reliable. He has been helping and directing the party for many years toward progress and victory. He has been a stabilizing factor and that is why we abide by some of his decisions.

“He has been a leader, who has led us to victory upon victory. As Alliance for Democracy (AD), we controlled only one state in the South-West at a time, but because of his effort, we have about six states now.

“He is our leader and if he says something, we will look at what he is saying because he has led us over the years and we believe in him. The people’s candidate will emerge as the next governor of Lagos State.”