It is just five days to the local council elections. Tension is rising among the contestants. Who will win? Who will lose?
A special set of contestants are set to swim or sink with their principals – the vice chairmen.
The three available offices for the vice chairmen in Oshodi-Isolo LG, Isolo and Ejigbo LCDAs will be contested by six candidates, one each by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in each council area on Saturday.
In Oshodi-Isolo LGA, the emergence of Kehinde Oloyede as the chairmanship candidate of APC led to a struggle among erstwhile chairmanship aspirants who expected to be compensated with the position.
Among them was the incumbent Secretary to the local government, Abiola Oladipupo, the choice of the Mandate members who believed that with the chairmanship going to the Justice Forum, they would take the number two position.
However, the tables turned when the apex leadership of Mandate decided to use the position to honour its late leader, Alhaji Ganiyu Badmus.
Oladipupo gladly withdrew because Badmus was his mentor.
The Mandate leadership then invited Ismail, Badmus son on Level 13 at the Lagos State Ministry of Works, who had contested the primaries to take the offer.
But there was debate in the family between those who wanted Ismail to resume his work in the civil service and pursue his career and those who wanted him to take the job.
Furthermore, those who wanted him to return to work counseled that the family could achieve more by ensuring that Ismail remained in the civil service while his step-sister, Modupe use the slot.
Some sources said the fact that Modupe’s mum, Kuburat Badmus is one of the leaders of the market women helped her case.
With the resolution of the issue by the family, the coast became clear for Modupe Badmus-Aregbe to become the vice chairmanship candidate of the APC in the July 24 polls in Oshodi-Isolo.
She will be locking horns with her counterpart in the opposition party, Hon. Tiamiyu Karibawi.
Karibawi, a politician, teacher and media practitioner, has been chosen as the vice to Hon. Tajudeen Bamigboye, to jointly contest for the apex seats in the local government.
ECHONEWS gathered that tickets for the chairmanship and other positions in the party were given to the flag bearers based on consensus as the party preferred this option than spending money on the primaries.
Karibawi, a native of Osun State who hails from Oshogbo Local Government Area in Osun State joined the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 1999. He contested for councillorship in 2002 and 2006 but was asked to step down for another aspirant, he then defected to the PDP in 2006.
In addition to his secondary school certificate, he holds a certificate of the Nigerian Institute of Purchase and Supply Management in Lagos and works in the broadcast industry.
In Isolo LCDA, APC is presenting Hon. Sadiq Shakiru Adeola as the party’s vice chairmanship candidate.
Adeola, the first Isolo indigene to be elected as councillor of Akinbaye ward in 2004 and served for two terms, has contested for the chairmanship twice.
In the buildup to this fast approaching election, Adeola was among the top three aspirants who keenly sought the party’s chairmanship ticket to champion the course of the indigenes and become the first indigenous chairman of the council.
The 45-year old politician holds a Bachelor’s degree in Insurance and a Master’s degree in Public and International Affairs (MPIA) from the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Speaking to ECHONEWS, Adeola said he was chosen as the vice chairmanship candidate to jointly carry the party’s ticket with Hon. Adebayo Olasoju based on merit rather than being compensated as rumoured.
He said: “I wasn’t given the position as a compensation. The leadership of the party saw the capability and qualities in me, the popularity, diligence and acceptability before they considered me as the vice chairman.
“This is my third term of aspiring for the chairmanship position but the party is supreme and I believe that my time is coming as well. But for this journey with the chairman, one of my leaders, whom I respect so much said, ‘Shakiru this is a sixteen years journey for you, eight years for you and the chairman, and your own eight years by the grace of God.'”
For the PDP, the party is presenting Hon. Goodman Ahuekwe, to contest with Adeola of APC based on consensus.
Ahuekwe is an indigene of Abia State who, according to him, has lived in Ilasa, Isolo and Ajao Estate, three key neighbourhoodsof Isolo LCDA.
A specialist in the sales of computer and accessories since 2003, Ahuekwe says he plans to work with the chairmanship candidate of the party to change the narrative of politics of rascality, thuggery and godfatherism.
He boasted that his party will triumph in the coming election in all the wards but emphasised that there should be impartiality by the electoral umpire and the election should be free, fair and credible.
For the vice chairmanship position in Ejigbo LCDA, the ruling APC party has chosen Ayodele, Ayodeji Sunday.
Ayodeji had contested the party’s primary for the councillorship of Oke-Afa Ward in 2017 but lost. He was later appointed the chairman of the Revenue Committee of the Ejigbo LCDA.
Ayodeji is a graduate of Sociology from the Lagos State University and also holds Master’s degree in Industrial and Personal Management from the University of Ibadan.
He is currently the Deputy Managing Director of SMA FM, a radio station located in Jakande Estate, Ejigbo and doubles as the Deputy Principal of S.M.A COLLEGE.
Ayodeji’s road to the vice chairmanship followed the decision of the Justice Forum to change the person on its slot from the incumbent Dr. Olatunde Olusunmade who is believed to have fallen out with the group for various reasons.
His counterpart in the PDP is Princess Oluwatoyin Oshode, picked by the party to replace Hon.Solomon Oboh who was initially presented as the vice chairmanship candidate.
Oboh was later given the councillorship ticket of Aigbaka Ward.