The Governorship
candidate of the All Progressive Party (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumi
Ambode, has dedicated his victory to the people of Lagos, saying his emergence
as the APC candidate “is renewed hope for Lagos.’
Ambode emerged in
a landslide victory early on Friday morning after defeating 11 other aspirants
in a keenly contested primary election that took place at the Onikan Stadium in
the centre of Lagos amid tight security.
He will be
presented with the party’s flag on December 10 during the APC national
convention which is slated to hold in Lagos.
Ambode, whose
election by majority of party delegates from the 20 Local Government Areas in
the state did not come as a surprise to those conversant with the politics of
Nigeria’s foremost metropolitan state, polled a total of 3735 votes out of the
total of almost 6000 cast, ahead of his closest rival Dr. Femi Hamzat, who
polled 1201 votes.
The result for
other candidates is as follows: Senator Ganiyu Solomon – 272; Lanre Ope – 0;
Adekunle Disu – 9; Abayomi Sutton – 0; Tola Kasali – 69; Supo Shasore – 121;
Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji – 182; Dr. Leke Pitan – 112; Tokunbo Wahab – 7 and Tayo
Ayinde – 17.
Ambode’s victory
was announced by chairman of the APC gubernatorial electoral committee for
Lagos and former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rev Peter Obadan.
Dr. Hamzat who is
the current Commissioner for Works in Lagos State has congratulated Ambode for
his victory, promising to work with the Epe-born technocrat to achieve victory
at the governorship election on February 28 2015.
The announcement
of Ambode as the winner of the primaries was greeted with wild jubilations from
the crowd of supporters who had begun arriving at the venue as early as 9am in
the morning. They all waited peacefully till the votes were counted and the
winner announced just before midnight.
A delegate, who apparently
spoke the mind of many others, expressed delight at Ambode’s emergence and
charged everyone who vied for the ticket to come together and work for the
interest of the party now that the election has been won and lost in a free and
fair manner.
Also, Senator
Asafa, evidently impressed with the conduct of the voting enthused: “This is
democracy at play, this is transparency at play.”
Party stalwarts
who were at the primaries included Chairman of the party in lagos State, Chief
Henry Ajomale; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire;
Senators Oluremi Tinubu; Senator Gbenga Ashafa; former Speaker of the Lagos
State House of Assembly, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora; Minority Leader of the
House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, other members of the House of
Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly among others.
Reacting to his
victory, an elated Ambode said: "It is with a deep sense of gratitude and humility
that I accept this ticket to run as the flagbearer of our great party, APC, in
the 2015 gubernatorial elections. The victory was made possible by you the
people."
The former
Accountant General of Lagos State who also thanked all the other 12 aspirants
for running a good race added that his candidacy is "renewed hope for
Lagos State."
He said: “The orderliness,
the transparency of the process and the spirit of sportsmanship devoid of
bitterness that characterized this process signpost a better future for our
democracy. Our party has demonstrated to all that we are a party of great minds
and democratic ideals.
"We have a
legacy to build upon. We have a challenge to meet and speedily too. The
responsibility belongs to all of us. Let us put aside the disappointment of
yesterday and embrace the opportunity of today. Not forgetting that the future
begins today. We must never forget that the future of Lagos is bigger than the
summation of our ambitions.
“After this
victory, we must move quickly to retain the party APC in the column of the
progressives by returning the APC to power in Lagos. On my part, I promise
never to waiver or fail. I promise to energize and mobilize our teeming
supporters in the next phase of this struggle. I put myself to the task, knowing
full wellthat the foundation laid must never be destroyed but built upon. I
commit to the continuation of excellence and the upliftment of the lives of all
Lagosians."
The APC candidate
was born 51 years ago at the Epe General Hospital on June 14, 1963. He stared
his educational career at St. Jude’s Primary School, Ebutte Meta, Lagos, in
1969 and in 1974 he sat for the National Common Entrance Examinations in
primary five after which he was admitted into the Federal Government College,
Warri in the same year.
Ambode spent seven
years in Warri, where he completed his Ordinary and Advanced Levels and had the
distinction of achieving the second best result in all of West Africa in the
Higher School Certificate Examinations in 1981. He was on the school’s Hockey
and Cricket teams and was part of the then Bendel State Cricket team while
still a student.
He then proceeded
to the University of Lagos where he studied Accounting, graduating at the age
of 21 in 1984. He completed his mandatory National Youth Service Corps year
serving with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sokoto, Sokoto State, where he
started his journey into qualitative management.
Akinwumi Ambode
who is commonly known as A-Plus by his close friends and associates,
voluntarily retired as the Accountant General of Lagos State in August 2012
after a 27-year meritorious career which saw him in different arms of the Lagos
State Civil Service, as Auditor General of the Local Governments and Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.
Ambode is said to be one of the creative minds behind the astronomical growth
in the volume of Internally Generated Revenue of Lagos State especially between
2005 and his retirement in 2012.
An experienced
Administrator and Public Finance Management expert, Ambode is the Chief Executive
Officer of Brandsmith Consulting Limited – a firm that specializes in public
sector finance management. A Fulbright scholar and Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), he is also a Member of the Nigerian
Institute of Management. He is the founder of La Roche Leadership Foundation, a
non-profit organization focused on developing the next generation of leaders.
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