Updated: Tinubu’s Candidate, Ambode Wins Lagos APC Gubernatorial Ticket

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Nigeria 2015 Election Thursday, December 4th, 2014

By Ayo Balogun, Lagos – Former Accountant General of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode has won the governorship primaries of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos with a landslide victory after polling 3,735 votes out of the total valid votes of 5,725 cast at the primaries to defeat 12 other aspirants.

Former Accountant General of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode

The result of the primary election was announced around 8:13 am (Nigerian time) on Friday by Dr. Peter Obada, who is a representative of the APC National Primaries Committee.

Counting of votes began around 11pm on Thursday and ended around 4:13am Friday before counting the individual votes of the aspirant commencing around 4:35am.

Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Kadri Hamzat, came second with a vote of 1,201. He was followed by Senator Ganiu Olanrewaju Solomon, who came a distant third after scoring 272 votes while the Speaker of thee Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforji was 4th with 182 votes.

Supo Shasore, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State polled 121 votes to emerge 5th in the contest. Former Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Dr. Leke Pitan polled 112 votes to come 6th in the exercise.

Former Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Tola Kasali got 69 votes to come 7th; Tayo Ayinde,17 votes (8th); Adekunle Idris, nine votes (9th) and Tokunbo Wahab, seven votes (10th). Other aspirants, Abayomi Sutton, Lanre Ope and the only woman among them, Tokunbo Tobun-Agbesanwa did not score any vote.

With the result, Ambode will represent the Lagos APC in next year’s governorship election in Lagos.

Speaking earlier at the primaries, which held at the Onikan Stadium, the APC National leader, Bola Tinubu had charged all the 13 aspirants to accept the result of the primaries.

His speech was read by the Lagos Publicity Secretary of the party, Joe Igbokwe. He said over 6,000 delegates had gathered to choose a governorship candidate among the 12 aspirants, saying the event marked the beginning of the march for democracy.

Tinubu reminded them that only one of them would emerge winner at the end of the day, saying that all of you are qualified but only one of you will win.

Born June 14, 1963, Ambode, an accountant, administrator and public finance management expert, resigned from the government of Lagos as the Accountant-General of the State.

One major achievement going for the Chief Executive Officer of Brandsmiths Consulting Limited, a firm that specializes in public sector finance management, was his ability to effectively manage the finances of the state at the harsh period when former President Olusegun Obasanjo sat on the allocation to Lagos State allegedly because of a tussle he had with then Governor Bola Tinubu over the creation of the 37 Local Council Development Areas.

Mr Ambode is said to be the anointed candidate of the former governor of Lagos state and APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu while Mr Supo Shasore is reported to have been endorsed by the incumbent governor Babatunde Raji to succeed him.