Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has admitted defeat in the state’s gubernatorial primary, ending weeks of intrigues amid failure by the presidency to stave off the incumbent’s fate.
The governor’s press conference on Sunday where he dismissed his challenger as unfit raised tension. Yesterday, however, Ambode was conciliatory, congratulating Babajide Sanwo-Olu and urging Lagos residents to work towards the party’s victory in the 2019 general elections.
Admitting “the last few days witnessed intense political activities that gripped the attention of the nation and created palpable tension in the polity,” the governor said he strongly believed the time had come for the state to “move forward, so that the gains of the last three and half years are not lost.”
He described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a great party, stressing that the interest of the state transcends that of any person or group. Observers would be quick to note the admission, coming after accusations that the governor failed to carry the party and its members along.
“It is in this regard that I wholeheartedly congratulate the winner of the Lagos State APC primaries, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and urge all Lagosians to immediately support our party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 elections and work for the success of our dear party,” Ambode said. He promised to do “everything possible to ensure a smooth transition in the remaining period of this administration and ultimately to the new governor, come May 2019.”