With the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries less than two months away, incumbent governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Raji Fashola has invited gubernatorial hopefuls for an interactive meeting to access their vision for the state.
Thisday reports that an unnamed source availed that about seven of the said aspirants participated in the session which saw the governor pick his likely successors in an order of preference.
Those who were invited for the meeting which was held on Monday, September 22, 2014 included: speaker of the state house of assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji; commissioner for works and infrastructure, Obafemi Hamzat; erstwhile accountant general of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode; senate minority whip, senator Ganiyu Solomon; an ex-commissioner for special duties, Tola Kasali; former Commissioner for Health, Leke Pitan and the Senate Vice Chairman on lands, housing and urban development, Senator Gbenga Ashafa.
According to the source, the governor favoured Olasupo Shasore, who has previously served as the attorney-general and commissioner for justice for Lagos state from 2007 to 2011, although he was not part of the aspirants who met with the governor.
The source further disclosed that governor Fashola subsequently held another private meeting with former governor and national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu to discuss the outcome of him meeting with the aspirants during which the list of successors was presented on a scale of preference.
Following the development, party leaders from Lagos east kicked against the preference for Shasore, as it negated the zoning arrangement which has been used since 1999 and saw candidates from Lagos West and Lagos Central emerge as governor in the persons of Bola Tinubu and incumbent Babatunde Fashola respectively, arguing that the governorship seat should be zoned to Lagos East which comprises Ikorodu, Lekki and Epe.
They stated that the zoning process “is sacrosanct and cannot be altered. Fashola’s preference for Shasore, who is from Lagos central, will alter the arrangement. We will resist attempt to take the governorship slot from Lagos East. We will not accept it. We, therefore, call on Asiwaju to protect our interest.”
