Ambode is doing well, but he hasn’t been a good party man - Tinubu
- The national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said that though Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has done well in office, he has not been a good party man
- Tinubu also said the APC has decided to withdraw support for the governor who wished to go for another term
- The national leader stressed that the decision to support Babajide Sanwo-Olu was beyond him
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, October 2, said that though Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has done well in office, he has not been a good party man, The Punch reports.
NAIJ.com gathered that for this reason, Tinubu said, the APC has decided to withdraw support for the governor who wished to go for a second term.
Tinubu spoke with journalists at Ward C, Ikeja Local Government Area, after the conclusion of voting in the Lagos APC governorship primary.
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The national leader stressed that the decision to abandon Ambode for Babajide Sanwo-Olu was beyond him, adding that he was only doing the wishes of the party, which had entrusted him with its leadership.
When asked why he withdrew his support for Ambode, Tinubu said: “Who did I support in 2014? Ambode. Life is dynamic. It’s those who made me the leader of the structure in Lagos who said it was what they want. It’s only if you have followers that you’re a leader in democracy.
“If I look back and I don’t find them again; if I don’t respond to them, if I fail to accede to their request, I would have failed the leadership test.
“This is not personal; it is beyond me as a person. Every democratic constitution is preceded by ‘We, the people’. So, I had to submit myself to the wishes and the yearnings of our party.
“This is an elixir for the general election. Ambode Akin, he’s doing well, yes; he hasn’t been a good party man; not only the glamour, not only about brick and mortal. A talent is determined by character. For you to become an influential person, you have to respond to the yearnings of the people. This is politics; democracy, one man, one vote.”
Tinubu also dismissed the suggestion that the development in Lagos state could negatively affect the fortune of the party at the national level in 2019.
He also described the direct primary as the best, saying it had helped to eliminate intra-party corruption.
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NAIJ.com previously reported that the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, allegedly asked Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to drop his second term bid and endorse Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The Mandate Movement in the Lagos APC which is controlled by the APC chieftain is backing Sanwo-Olu. It was reported that despite pleas from notable politicians, Tinubu had refused to back Ambode.
The wife of the governor, Bolanle, reportedly met with Tinubu in Osun to try and pacify him but the meeting failed to yield any result. It was reported that APC leaders are mounting pressure on the governor to drop his second term bid but that the governor insists on going on with the direct primaries.
Can Ambode get a second term without Tinubu's approval? - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng