If fresh indications emerging from the camp of the former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are to go by, the former governor and his successor, Raji Babatunde Fashola, might have concluded plans to ensure that the adoption of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode as the next governor of the state sails through.
Similarly, the Edu Royal Family of Epe has denied sponsoring the media report that Ambode was not known to the family, saying that though he never claimed to be part of their family; his [Ambode] family was well-known to the royal family, as they lived in the same quarters.
Sunday Tribune reliably gathered that as part of the grand plot to ensure the emergence of Ambode, who was recently endorsed by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, as the next governor, Tinubu’s men have set up a high-powered committee consisting of five persons from each local government and Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) in the state.
According to sources, the forces behind Ambode’s adoption convened an emergency meeting with a directive that five members from each of the local governments and LCDAs should be nominated to attend the meeting. The names of the delegates were to be sent to the secretary of Conference 57.
Findings further revealed that the group, indeed, held a meeting on 21 May at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, where the issue of Ambode was extensively discussed. The meeting, it was said, also adopted some strategies to prosecute the plan.
An impeccable source told Sunday Tribune, though on a condition of anonymity, that a top loyalist of Tinubu, told those in attendance that the former governor and Fashola had already adopted Ambode, who was also said to be at the meeting, where he told his story and solicited for the support of those in attendance.
Some of those in attendance were said to have given supportive responses to Ambode’s solicitation.
Ambode, who was disowned by the Edu family from Epe, which he reportedly claimed to belong to, in a publication on Saturday, however, had respite from the same family, as a statement signed by Nuhman Olalekan Edu and Niyi Haroun, on behalf of the family, disclaimed the earlier report.
The statement made available to Sunday Tribune, read in part: “The Edu Royal Family of Epe wishes to refute the purported press release of 25 May, 2014 and to state that the mentioned names or signatories to the said release, Alhaji M. Oladeinde Edu and Alhaji T. A. Edu, are not known to the family and are not representatives of the family. They have never been mandated to speak on behalf of the family.”
The family noted that some aspirants from Epe were behind the mud-slinging mission, calling on those using the family’s name for selfish political interest to desist from so doing.
“It should be noted that Mr Ambode never claimed to be an Edu son at any point in time. His family is well-known to the Edus and has lived harmoniously as indigenes from the same quarters. We further reiterate our full royal blessings and support for his aspiration,” the statement read.
Source: Tribune
