Lagos 2015: A battle of equals -By Segun Fafore

The quest for the soul of Lagos State has presented citizens of the state with a great opportunity to elect between two candidates separated by parties but aligned by similar credentials and outlook. This has not happened in a very long time in the state. Maybe, the last time residents of the state had to ponder really hard before casting their votes was Bola Tinubu’s second term bid which pitted him against Funsho Williams of the blessed memory. The election was the Peoples Democratic Party’s last genuine attempt at Lagos governorship election and the opportunity that distinguished and established Tinubu’s uncanny leadership prowess which created the enormous goodwill the All Progressives Congress enjoys in the South-West.

Subsequent elections were usually clearly won before polling because one of the presented candidates always enjoyed more credibility and higher acceptability than the other. The PDP seemed to always have difficulty in fielding candidates that could earn a second look from Lagosians who seem to have become very familiar with the notion of a functional government and responsible leadership.

Until now, the PDP could not be said to have really contested the Lagos State governorship election with the ruling party in the state. However, the party has reversed this ugly trend with its choice of a candidate for the 2015 election. The race for the Oval House is undoubtedly between Akinwunmi Ambode of the APC and Jimi Agbaje of the PDP. Even, the PDP’s choice of candidate is so strong that the party could easily add Lagos to the list of states controlled by it but for a certain individual within the APC who identified Ambode as the candidate who could protect the party’s territory against the PDP incursion.

Otherwise, Agbaje’s candidacy against any other candidate in the APC would have earned an easy victory for the PDP, just the way pitting Ambode against any other candidate(s) amongst the aspirants in the PDP could have yielded an unchallenged victory to the APC. Judging by the quality of the candidates in terms of credentials, accomplishments, worldview and political outlook, the two parties have put their best feet forward. The choice of Agbaje could be said to provide the PDP with an opportunity to equal the claim of conception and implementation of people-oriented programmes which the APC has been using as its “pass” into the Oval House over the last 16 years because his ideals resonate with the aspirations of ordinary Lagosians.

I commend the leadership of the PDP for the deep reflection that produced its candidate. Indeed, with such a candidate, the party is in the race for power in the State. But to actually wrest power from the APC in the state, the PDP will need to create a perception and build a reputation of a party that fields credible, efficient and committed candidates. It should be seen and understood as a party that can address issues of socio-economic significance. It should be known as a party for the masses and not a gathering of “made” men and women seeking to protect their wealth through state apparatus and public office. I mean, a party that presents servants to the people, and not the one that fosters on them masters!

Just the way Muhammadu Buhari is being considered as an alternative or a solution to the ineptitude of the current leadership of the country, Lagosians would really appreciate the PDP for strongly projecting itself as a better alternative to the APC in Lagos State. The APC may be doing great in the state but the electorate want the best deal at all time. We need proper democracy where a party will not become complacent because the other parties do not pose adequate threat to its position. The PDP needs to understand that Lagos State is somewhat different from other states for a number of reasons which include its composition.

The party needs to offer exciting programmes and practical agenda that could sway Lagos voters to think of it as a better alternative. As human beings, we desire “better” when “good” is at hand and firmly hold on to “good” when what is available is not desirable. The reality is that there are opportunities in every state for any party, just as there is an opportunity for every party at the centre, but most parties do not always prepare early for elections. They only begin to scramble and struggle amongst themselves a couple of months to elections.

For instance, if the PDP had identified Agbaje as its candidate for Lagos State election about two years ago and offered him a political appointment in preparation for public service, would he not have had as much bragging right as Ambode who had served as an Accountant General of Lagos State and auditor to almost all the local governments in the state? Would the long-range strategic decision by the party a couple of years before the elections not have complemented the strong and enviable credentials of the party candidate, and perhaps enhanced the party’s standing as a credible substitute to the APC in the state?

The reality is that the choice of who becomes the governor of Lagos State next month between Ambode and Agbaje will pose a significant challenge to the Lagos electorate. This is because they will give deep consideration to Agbaje’s candidature as Governor of the State but Ambode’s public service experience will be the major differentiator between the equally good candidates who seek to steer the affairs of the state for the next four or eight years as the case might be.

Indeed, this election will reverse the historical dismal performance of the PDP in Lagos governorship elections and create an inroad into the state for the party. Whether this will become a permanent trend or not depends on the PDP’s goals and plans for Lagos State but steps taken by the party after this election will significantly influence the outcome of 2019 election in the state.

No matter how the party interprets the outcome of the 2015 Lagos election, something that should inspire and propel it to contend harder for Lagos State is the fact that “continuity shares similarities with boredom”. The natural instinct in man which is the “desire to aspire to that which you do not have” can let the PDP into the Oval House. Change is a natural and beautiful phenomenon. It can pose the same amount of threat it poses to the PDP at the centre, to the APC in Lagos State.

But change becomes desirable if there is a visible and credible alternative. The challenge for the PDP is to position itself as such in Lagos State. After the election, the PDP should create an opportunity for Agbaje, should he lose, to serve in a public capacity, if the party still has the fortune of being in control of power at the centre, or has any means of doing so, even if it is unseated by the alternative the Buhari-Osinbajo ticket provides. This will allow the general public to authenticate his capability to administer a state like Lagos, and replicate his track-record in the private sector through diligence, dedication and vision in the public service. It is obvious from the individuals who have signified interest in running for the governorship of Lagos State that no other candidate, outside Ambode, matches his profile and enjoys as much as acceptance as he does.