It was an informal conference of sorts at the Seminar Cafe, the refreshment rendezvous inside the sprawling premises of the Lagos Television (LTV8), Agidingbi, Ikeja, four weeks ago.
Resplendent in aso ebi and numbering about 10, including three women, the “discussants” were guests of a couple that had come to walk down the aisle at the popular Blue Roof events centre – within the same premises.
As assorted liquor washed sumptuous meals down their throats, one of them – an elderly man whose name was simply disclosed as Andrew – drew a deep sigh. Within seconds, he changed the kernel of their light discourse when one of them demanded to know why the sudden change in Andrew’s mood.
“It is true that we are having a swell moment here, but I must confess that my mind is filled with thoughts about the future of this my cherished state. How I wish God answers my fervent prayer as the next governorship election draws near!”
He gave a hint about the “storm” in his mind.
“Ha … ha …? Are you contesting for governorship? Tell us now, so that we know how to work for you,” one of them, a woman, cut in jocularly. A bout of laughter followed.
Suddenly, Andrew wore a serious mien. “What I have in mind is not a matter to laugh about. For three days recently, I prayed and fasted over the chance of the man who, to me, has all it takes to sustain the tradition of excellent administration, which has remained unbroken since Tinubu (ex-governor) was in the saddle in this state,” he replied, rising on his feet.
This poser naturally followed: “Who then is in your mind?” His reply was emphatic: “Akin Ambode! He is the exceptional technocrat who is now being voluntarily supported by genuine lovers of a new Lagos across the state.”
For a while, the 2015 governorship ambition of Akinwunmi Ambode, the immediate past Accountant-General of the state and a leading contender on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), became the kernel of their discourse.
The contribution of Sola Adetayo was a clear pointer to the indubitable fact that whatever one does at one point in time in a leadership position will sooner or later become a reference point.
His co-discussants hanged on his lips when he took them down memory lane. “I was well aware that the man (Ambode) was the prime custodian of the state’s treasury under ex-Governor Bola Tinubu. We all remember the political war between Tinubu and the then President Olusegun Obasanjo when the latter seized the funds due to local government councils in the state following the controversy over the creation of additional local councils in the state.
“It is to the credit of Ambode that he, through a rare ingenuity, evolved the financial infrastructure that helped the state survive those trying times. It therefore goes without saying that such a talent is needed to steer the ship of a state as complex as Lagos,” Adetayo said amid nods by his hearers.
Disclosing that he was a retired civil servant in the state, he spoke about his experience when he retired from the Ministry of Finance under Ambode.
Virtually everyone contributed to the Ambode discussion.
This writer was in a commercial bus heading for Ojota from Lagos Island last week. The main issue being discussed was the forthcoming governorship election in the state. The concern of everyone is the ultimate emergence of the ideal man who has all it takes to ensure that the current train of development in the state is not drawn back to the “service lane”.
Just last week, the same issue kept lips busy at a taxi park at Ladipo Junction in Mushin. An Osun State-born commercial cab driver, Rafiu Oladele, said although he is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would vote for Ambode should he emerge as APC’s candidate because his assessment of the man had convinced him.
“I am a devout Muslim who believes in truth. Yes, I belong to PDP as a party, but my concern is the progress of where I earn my livelihood. I have been lucky to move with a few people who have gained one thing or another from the connection with Ambode and I am impressed. I have been made to believe that we will have a duteous and God-fearing governor in him. So, I will do my best possible to work for his success at the polls if he emerges as APC’s candidate. He will be a good choice as the one whose head the cap fits,” Oladele said.
Besides his exemplary leadership acumen and public-spirited temperament, many are always quick to allude to Ambode’s stint at the corridors of power in the state as an exclusive political advantage that will likely earn him victory at the polls over any other contender.
Will the state retain the luck to have the right man to steer its ship? The moment of decision is almost here!
• Akinlabi is a political analyst based in Lagos.