Opinion!The many lies of Ambode, Lagos governorship aspirant

By A. Niyi/Lagos

(Opinion solely that of the author)

The journey to the highest office in Lagos House usually comes with a lot of political calculations and surprises. Agreeably, as the state jostles for ‘the best man for the job’ again, different political scenarios will continue to unfold until a governor emerges.
As the search for the next person to occupy the exalted seat at the Lagos House Alausa, continues, wonders will continue to unfold. However, Lagosians are beginning to witness a new dimension to the already known wonders that usually surround the emergence of a governor.
One of such wonders is the penchant of one of the aspirants to fib at any given opportunity. In fact, for Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, it is one week, one lie.
The latest of his lies is the syndicated story in some national dailies in which he alleged that consensus talks among APC governorship candidates in Lagos State have collapsed and all the aspirants, except him are now jittery. This is a lie taken too far; and Lagosians now have to know Ambode for who he is.
Last week, he lied that he had been endorsed by 34 members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Barely two months ago, he was on the pages of newspapers, where he lied that the APC Caucus in the House of Representatives had endorsed him. Meanwhile, the caucus had only indulged him when he sought audience with them. It took a rejoinder from the lawmakers for the public to believe that no endorsement talks came up while the meeting lasted.
In the case of the Lagos Lawmakers, they, like the federal lawmakers, indulged Mr. Ambode when he asked to meet with them. The LAHA members (34 out of 40) honoured Ambode because he is a party member and an aspirant. The Deputy Speaker of the House who spoke on behalf of his colleagues was explicit when he spoke at the meeting.
According to the Daily Independent, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo said the House membership, in their various capacities as party members, would support whoever the party (APC) presents as the flag-bearer in the governorship election. But contrary to the Deputy Speaker’s pronouncement, the news that the Lagos Lawmakers had unanimously adopted Mr Akin Ambode suddenly found its way into the media.
To every right thinking person, the big question is how possible is it for 34 Lawmakers out of 40 (The Speaker being one of the remaining six and a strong contender in the race) to rise and adopt Ambode when their colleague and a very influential politician in the state is also in the race?
His inclination to lie has become not just embarrassing but unpleasant, such that he has now been nicknamed ambowonder; a moniker for a man, who is ever ready to spin make-believe tales just to create the impression that the entire Lagos is in support of his illusionary ambition to govern Lagos.
Ambode is a man with delusions of grandeur; he translates his phantasms to reality by taking pictures with notable people within and outside Lagos; whom in the figment of his imagination have all “endorsed” him
As a party member, I understand very well that in the political terrain, a lot of strategies are permitted to sell one’s vision and personality to the people. But the ‘con-man in Sicily’ approach being employed by Akin Ambode, in order to get the support of every stakeholder that matters in the political spectrum of Lagos State and Lagosians in particular is very unpopular, deceitful and unhealthy as Lagosians only want a truthful Governor with the passion to serve the people.
When Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu became Governor of Lagos State, he did not lie his way to get into that office. Even at a point when the enemies of progress decided to throw an allegation of ‘certificate forgery’ against the Jagaban, it was obvious that the mischief-makers were only trying to fight against God and the good people of Lagos; they lost.
Among gladiators who fought for the exalted position in 2007, God brought out our amiable and excellent Governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola; not because he was popular; As a matter of fact, he was the least popular, but he was anointed by God and the evidence is clear for us to see today that he is a Governor to beat. He did not lie his way to the Lagos House in Alausa; the people accepted him for who he was and gave him their mandate even for yet another tenure that is gradually winding down.
Like Jagaban and Mr. Fashola, if Akin Ambode has what it takes to govern Lagos State, resorting to political impersonation and plagiarism is not a good way to go. First he was enmeshed in a controversy about his state of origin; he fraudulently attempted to claim Epe indigeneship; already, two different families at loggerheads on the indigeneship of a man that cannot clearly define his own origin in the public.
Next was the dummy of ‘anointment and adoption of Akin Ambode by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’. In a matter that nearly caused tremor in the party among the APC bigwigs, it took the ingenuity of Asiwaju to douse the tension generated by such political misplacement.
Our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently pronounced before all stakeholders that he had no anointed candidate for the governorship of the state and nobody should use his name to sell himself to the people, rather all aspirants should seek the people’s mandate by proving themselves to the people.
Other salient questions begging for answers are: Why does Ambode need to fabricate information for public consumption? Why has he been using the name of Asiwaju to cajole the public for support if he is man enough like other aspirants in the race? What does Ambode think makes him so special before Asiwaju than all other aspirants put together? What is his mission with this endorsement noise?
As long as Akin Ambode will not stop lying and misleading the public with false political information, the dust that will continue to be generated by his dishonesty and deception will continue to score him low before the public and party members. The result will be counter-productive because this reputable Centre of Excellence is too admirable to deserve a leader that will ride on the altar of unfaithfulness, treachery, lack of integrity and sheer desperation to assume power.
If anyone is destined to become the Governor of Lagos State among the present contenders, even if the world never knew him, like Babatunde Fashola in 2003, his integrity and God’s light will endear him to the people’s hearts.
Inasmuch as integrity is needed in civil service, it is also needed in public service. Many party stakeholders are now afraid to shake hands or take photographs with Ambode because in the aspirant’s mind, a handshake translates to endorsement and should make the news.
It also behoves our present crop of journalists to be more thorough with their reportage and ensure the media practice continues to earn its respect as the harbinger of truth and fair play. This they can do by being careful with the way they report Akin Ambode in their dailies.
For example, the cover of the Daily Independent had the headline: “34 Lagos lawmakers endorse Ambode for governorship,” whereas there was nothing to buttress the headline in the body of the story. This is is not only unprofessional but also demeaning.
Similarly, This Day of 15th November also published a story with the misleading headline: “Ambode Secures Legislative Endorsement”. Meanwhile, there was no reference to the headline in the body of the story. The deputy Speaker who was quoted is alive and anyone can make independent findings from the 34 lawmakers that met Ambode to really confirm if truly they said they have adopted him.
Even as we speak, Lagosians are yet to get a second pronouncement from the royals that all the kings in Lagos have adopted Ambode.
To party members and all those hoping for honest leaders to emerge in the next general election, a man like Ambode cannot be trusted to deal with Lagosians honestly and truthfully.
If our nation must move forward, integrity on the part of those aspiring to govern us cannot be compromised. Desperation is not necessarily the right tool to fulfil the cause of aspiration. For Akin Ambode, his lies are saturating our political space and may soon begin to drag the hard earned image of our great party, the APC in the mud.
Let God’s will be done!

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