The 2023 governorship election in
Lagos State presents an opportunity for the Centre of Excellence to experience a breath of fresh air. This much anticipated refreshing experience of fresh air is expected to be taken-in by Lagosians after 23 unbroken and stifling years of running Lagos State as the personal estate of a single individual.
True reality of democratic practice in Lagos since 1999 has been a politics of selection by one individual and not that of electoral choice by the generality of Lagosians. Sadly, over recycled individuals that were never prepared for governance have over the years being foisted on Lagosians thereby making the state not to have developed at the same level with its available quantum of resources.
There is no gainsaying that a political party already entrenched in power for more than 23 years at the Centre of Excellence will no doubt be difficult to get dislodged. Moreso that the party and its lead promoters in Lagos have become principalities which make to see the Centre of Excellence as their meal tickets and sources of unexplained humongous wealth.
Millions of hitherto voiceless Lagosians have at last found a loud voice in the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor. Of a truth, only a firmly focused, audacious and most courageous character like Jendor could dare the odds of walking where even angels fear to thread.
Jendor as an apostle of the breath of fresh air in Lagos is also the Convener of Lagos4Lagos movement. This is a group of of the members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Azeez Olajide Adediran began his determined quest to rescue Lagos by successfully causing an implosion in the All Progressive Congress and this move has to a very large extend put the opposition PDP in a good stead to win the next gubernatorial election at the Centre of Excellence.
Jendor is a Lagos-born politician and also a true son of Aworiland from the Osolu and Elete Kingdoms of Ojo Local Government Area. He won the PDP primary election in less than six months of defecting to the umbrella party. It is particularly interesting that virtually all the political heavyweights that Jendor met in the PDP stepped down for him before the day of the primary election. The PDP heavyweights that stepped down for Jendor included Adedeji Doherty, Rhodes Gbadebo, Ade Dosunmu and
Otunba Jimi Karmal.
The 44 year old journalist and successful serial entrepreneur has the plan of changing the face of governance in the state of Lagos by having tech-driven young Lagosians take positions of authority in the
state. He is of the opinion that only those that are in tune with the 21st-century innovations can help Lagos to achieve full potentials as against those that are being recycled for more than 20 years.
“My government is going to be a tech-driven government where you have a lot of young people being given opportunities, because these are those I share the same frame of preference with’.
The philanthropist and technocrat has been quite upbeat that the 2023 election is the best time for the PDP to ease APC out of power in Lagos. He was empathetic that most Lagosians and even APC members are already tired of unprecedentedly bad governance of the party at the centrer as well as the idea of man holding the state by the jugular for more than 23 years.
“So, for us to believe that this is our year, we have never been this hopeful as a party, that we can win that election and then we have been seeing what has been playing out even from the other camp since the day we found ourselves taking the ticket of the party.
“It’s been like a war of sorts, but we are ready for the battle.
“The difference is that one is a total democratic party and the other one is just one person deciding what happens
“We started Lagos4Lagos years back, and one of the things that Lagos4Lagos probably stands for is to see how we can galvanise the true Lagosians and say let us wake up”.
Jandor who has visited all the Local Government Areas and all the Local Council Development Areas of Lagos has not hidden the fact that the state needs a breath of fresh air. He frequently posited that a state as populous and enormously rich like Lagos needs a young and dynamic governor and not the tired brains. He has also been assuring Lagosians that PDP will definitely make Lagos great again and also make the state work for everyone and not just few privileged individuals.
The Oxford University alumnus also promised to come up with fresh ideas that would transform Lagos State. He added that the traffic situation, erosion and flooding which has become a nightmare for Lagosians whenever it rains at the Centre of Excellence will be given the deserved priority attention.
“I think everybody understand what we are seeing in term of huge internally generated revenue. We need a better fresh air on our roads and do something about flood. What we need is a Lagos Governor listening ears that will give attention to all these things. Unfortunately, what we have is the same set of people that we are recycling. What will you expect if you do same thing over and over again” ?
Jendor has been telling every Lagosian that care to listen that he feel very relaxed to contest against the sitting Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He described the Lagos Governor as a lame duck and badly damaged sitting governor.
“It is good news for our people that they are returning a lame duck. It is a good thing that they are bringing back the badly damaged sitting governor. It makes the job easier. Let’s see how they go about it in the coming election”.
Adediran had severally expressed disappointment that leadership of Lagos State has always been thrust on unwilling and unprepared individuals by a known self acclaimed landlord of the Centre of Excellence. He lamented that this has been the reason why Lagos has not been able to optimize her full potentials.
“You must have conviction and first believe in yourself before people will believe in you. All of these guys never envisioned to govern; never envisioned to be in office; they never prepared to be there. Somebody just called them and said, ‘You, come and be’ and that person kept controlling them”.
Jendor has never hidden it that he intends to be an independent governor that will not require approval from any godfather before getting things done. The young man also enjoys the advantage of physical and mental fitness. He plans to form a government of young generation that will rely on the experience and advice of the older generation. He genuinely desires that Lagos should do something different rather than continuing to recycle failed and old guard politicians.
The Chairman and Group CEO of Core Media Group vowed to return democracy to Lagosians and govern the Centre of Excellence without the support of the self acclaimed landlord of Lagos.
“I will become Lagos State Governor without him. It will be the first thing he will see to know that democracy has returned to Lagos when somebody emerges as the governor without him. He won’t be there forever”.
The breath of fresh air ticket of
Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran and
Funke Akindele is at the moment the best thing that can happen to Lagos residents. These two youths are bonafide Lagosians that truly enjoy massive appeal and endorsement by fellow Lagos youths. Funke Akindele has been chosen by Jendor as his deputy governorship candidate for the reason of religious balancing and bring positive change to women, youth and children in Lagos State.
There can not be a better time to put a stop to the practice of making Lagos to serve the interests of one single individual for more than 23 unbroken years than now. Now is the time to deploy Lagos resources for the benefits and development of Lagosians. Jendor and Funke have determinedly taken up the task to free and change the narrative of Lagos State. This duo are prepared to change the face of governance in Lagos and all hands should be on to make the PDP gubernatorial team succeeded at the polls in 2023.
