Lagos will today be the cynosure of all eyes as the governorship and State Assembly elections kick off nationwide.
Over the past few days, there has been some sort of ethnic battle going on across the city, with more people, including the security operatives, wading in to ensure the state remains calm during and after the guber poll holding today in the state.
Lagos as an economically viable state is strategic, and as such attracts interests from various political divides. The battle to the Marina and Alausa government houses will be a three-horse race. While the incumbent, Sanwo-Olu aspires to retain his position and is working round the clock to attain the feat, the Labour Party’s recent victory during the highly disputed presidential election has put the governor’s chances to doubt. Young Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour hopes to unseat Sanwo-Olu if Lagosians come out to vote without much interference from thugs and other disruptive political actions. Also in the race is Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor. The PDP candidate is not new to the contest and it’s expected that he would pull surprises. Working for him is his popular female running mate, Funke Akindele who is very popular in the state.
Lagos, considered to be no man’s land has recently been ‘riddled’ with ethnic and tribal sentiments among political actors. The actors are laying claims to the ownership of the state. This has continued to fuel controversies ahead of today’s poll.
On Friday, a viral video indicting MC Oluomo had emerged where he threatened the Igbo tribes in Lagos to remain at home if they were not going to vote for the APC and Sanwo-Olu in the state. This has since ignited reactions across the country, with many condemning the threat. The Lagos State Parks and Garden’s boss has since come out to withdraw the comment, saying he was only joking with a certain woman.
But in a Twitter post on Isaac Balami’s handle yesterday, Gbadebo-Vivor, in what appeared like a response to the earlier threat by MC Oluomo against the Igbos urged Lagosians to come out and vote. He assured them in the video Balami posted that they can’t be intimidated by anyone. He said anyone who tries to intimidate his supporters will receive an equal response.
Speaking exclusively with Afripost.ng, Balami who is the Labour Party Chairman, Security for Lagos said all has been put in place for the safety of the party’s supporters, urging them to go out and cast their votes.
“I will be on top of the security situation, and we shall provide minute-by-minute details on security and the general situation in the state,” he said
In a few hours from now, Lagosians will know if they are continuing with Sanwo-Olu, or a new candidate will emerge.