NOBODY CAN BECOME LAGOS GOV WITHOUT TINUBU– SAYS ALOBO BAKARE.

NOBODY CAN BECOME LAGOS GOV WITHOUT TINUBU– SAYS ALOBO BAKARE.

A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Hakeem Alobo-Bakare, in this interview says the process for choosing the party’s governorship candidate in the state has not been decided
Recently, some members of your party in Lagos took to the streets to protest imposition of candidates in the party. What does that mean for the All Progressives Congress with the governorship election barely seven months away?

Some people have not been too happy with the way things are going. Some people felt they were being sidelined. Even if somebody was going to be anointed, stakeholders felt they should have been carried along. There is a seat that is vacant.

Everybody cannot sit on that seat.

The fact that some people seem not to be happy is probably the reason for the protest.

I strongly believe we will go into primaries.

There should be a level playing field for everybody. This is democracy.

In the past, leaders of your party picked consensus candidates.

Do you see that happening this time around?

The Action Congress of Nigeria had its way of doing things. If there was going to be a consensus candidate all stakeholders would be carried along. Until that is done, everybody will remain in the field and keep trying to sell themselves to the electorate. The ACN had its style, which has been a tradition.

When the time comes, all the elders will come together. Even after a consensus candidate is chosen, there would have to be ratification.

The governorship has been zoned to Lagos-East. It’s official and has been announced by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu during a stakeholders’ forum. If there is going to be a consensus candidate, all the aspirants would have to called together to discuss it. So, that one person can be chosen amicably and the others would support him. It had been like that in the past. Some may be aggrieved.

We’ve had a situation in 2007 when some of the aspirants were aggrieved and they left the party. Some left and came back; others left and never came back. It’s not a new thing.

There are currently over 10 governorship aspirants in APC. Are you and others being attracted by the need to build on Governor Babatunde Fashola’s achievements or to correct the mistakes of his administration?

Personally, I’ve not seen what Fashola has done wrong. He has done fantastically well.

But if I get there, I’ll do more. In our party, there is a developmental programme, which Fashola is following after Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Some of the projects Fashola has embarked upon cannot be completed in eight years, so I’ll have to continue from where he stopped.

Fashola is an example of a technocrat in government. Don’t you think Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who is also a technocrat, is a better choice than other aspirants who are essentially politicians?

Whether technocrat or politician, the important thing is, let the job be done.

Fashola did well because he had some politicians around him.

It’s teamwork.

Whether the APC holds direct primaries or not, do you think anybody can become the party’s governorship candidate and win the election without Tinubu’s backing?

It’s not possible. He is the national leader of the party, he must have an input. Even the present governor must have an input.

Nobody can emerge without the support of Tinubu. He is a force to reckon with in Lagos State. I respect him a lot.

That means all the aspirants are lobbying to get his support?

Yes. He is a fine gentleman. He is compassionate. We all try to get his attention. I’m going on with my governorship race because nobody knows what nature the APC primaries would take. When Ayo Fayose was chosen by the PDP in Ekiti State, they did a kangaroo primary election and some people were aggrieved. At the end of the day, the President called the aggrieved aspirants and appeased them and asked them to work for Fayose’s success at the poll.

Are you saying the APC is going to do the same?

The APC is a unique party and we have a tradition in Lagos State, whether that tradition will be followed or not, I don’t know. Remember, it’s no longer the ACN alone. It’s now an amalgamation of different parties with vested interests. We will agree. I don’t forsee any problem.

The party is supreme.

Do you believe you will get Tinubu’s support?

Yes, by God’s grace.

I’m closer to him. He’s my uncle.

If you get the opportunity to govern Lagos, what would be your focus?

I have so many things I will do. For instance, I will revisit the issue of the Lagos State University fees because the dream of the founding fathers was to alleviate the suffering of the people of Lagos State. The university was meant for people who could not pay the fees of the University of Lagos and some other universities like that.

If I’m in government, what I will do is to ask blue chip companies to look inwards by giving scholarships to students and absorbing them when they graduate.

Another area is health care. I know people rush to general hospitals.

If we can establish what is called GP (General Practitioner) in London, it will help.

We can situate about three in a local government area and minor illnesses will be treated there. It has been done before as health centres. We can go back to them.