Anayo Ezugwu 
The 2023 governorship elec- tion in Lagos State may have come and gone but the dust it generated has not settled as some of the candidates have head- ed to the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on March 20, declared Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the state, winner of the governorship election held on Saturday, March 18. Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) cleared 19 out of the 20 local government areas of the state in the election.
The governor, who polled 762,134 votes, defeated his closest rival, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party who polled 312,329 and followed by Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 62,449 votes.
The total number of registered voters in the state is 7,060,195, but the number of accredited voters for the poll was 1,182,620. While the incumbent governor cleared 19 out of 20 LGAs, his opponent, Rhodes- Vivour, won in only one LG, Amuwo- Odofin.
Announcing the result of the election, the Returning Officer of the Governorship and House of As- sembly elections in the state, Profes- sor Adenike Oladeji, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said, “I hereby declare that Babajide Olu- sola Sanwo-Olu, having satisfied the requirements of the law by having 25 per cent of the total of the LGAs of the states and also having the highest number of votes cast and meeting the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner.”
But many of the political parties that participated in the election have scored the electoral umpire and the security agencies low for failing to conduct the election in line with INECs guideline and for setting aside the 2022 Electoral Act, and also faulted the security agencies for fail- ing to check the excesses of political thugs alleged to be loyal to the ruling party in the state. Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, a former member of the APC and leader of the Lagos4Lagos Movement, officially joined the PDP with thousands of supporters in 2022 and brought so much energy to the main opposition party, was among those that raised objections to the governorship election.
He came into the party with so much pomp and the momentum was very high, which was why when he formally declared his intention to contest for the seat of Lagos State governor on the platform of the PDP, promising that if elected into office his administration would focus on education, health, security and initiate measures to ease traffic con- gestion in the state, Lagosians were very hopeful. Following his loss at the poll, Jan- dor gave a holistic account of the activities that transpired during and after the general election in the state. He blamed the violence that characterized the election for his loss and also gave an account of all the finances expended during the exercise.
He said: “I cannot start any kind of address to my fellow Lagosians about the just concluded Lagos governorship elections without first collecting data on everything that characterized the March 18th election in Lagos State. I must, at this point, express how overwhelmed I am with gratitude for every single person who supported the PDP in Lagos and my candidacy for governor. From 245 wards, thousands of people joined our rallies, shared our campaign manifesto, defended our mandate, and came out in their numbers to vote. My special appreciation goes to my wife and kids, whose under- standing and sacrifice saw me this far on this project.
My party, the PDP, alongside all party members, I thank you for entrusting me with the flag of the party. “May I also use this opportu- nity to appreciate my running mate, Olufunke Akindele who left certainty for this uncertainty, there- by putting the love of our dear state and her people, over and above her comfort zone to join me in this race. We ran a campaign no one has ever undertaken in the history of Lagos State politics, by visiting places that politicians, including those in power, have never been.
“I am happy to report that in days leading to our election, we resisted all offers from the powers that be, to back down for crumbs, and when that failed, they swooped on to covet PDP leaders and followers, who can’t persevere for a better tomorrow, just to destabilize our ranks days to the election, part of which you would have heard the Lagos State Deputy Governor owning up to on a national Television. They needed that to happen to be able to justify the election day shenanigans, and truly…it’s the excuse they gave today for PDP per- formance on election day.
I am very comforted by the show of solidarity we saw at the polls and the seriousness with which ordinary citizens approached the 2023 elections. Even when the ruling government, frightened by our collective resolve and the possibility of them be- ing exposed to not holding the will of the people, resorted to violence and intimidation, you all stood strong and protected your vote.
Unfortunately, the ruling party refused to honor the will of the people, but our fight proves that things have changed for the better and I am humbled to have contributed to that change. “I have refrained from putting out a personal statement after my press conference on Monday the 20th of March 2023. This is because I felt it was the best course of action in light of everything that happened during and after the elections, to be able to give a proper account of what transpired against the narrative of the defection of some people from the PDP to APC, which to us, was official unveiling ceremony of moles of yesteryears in Lagos PDP.
“This same mole went as far as discouraging the unsuspecting national body of our party not to send down any support for the Lagos gubernatorial election, unfortunately, our party fell for it, and not a single kobo was available to us to under- take that election.
“Even the obligation of the party on Agent fees hasn’t been settled up till now. We ran it all by ourselves and I am proud of everyone who played one role or the other to en- sure a hitch-free exercise on March 18th, despite all the principalities that worked against us. We sincerely hope the party harkens to our calls on this and help resolve this as soon as possible.
“Despite all this, my team and I have spent time putting together all the necessary information that characterized the elections, and raw data collected indicated we have over 40% of the total votes cast during the March 18th election in Lagos State. Very soon, this will come open in public space. “As I mentioned during my press conference, the election is a process and not an event.
At the end of my consultations, I will make public our position on the next process. I thank you all once again for your support and will keep you all updated as we continue to work toward a Lagos that works for all.” Before the exercise, Jandor brought hope and belief to many supporters of PDP and those who believed that it was time for a change in Lagos’s political landscape. During his speech after he clinched the party’s ticket in The Haven Event Centre in Ikeja GRA, an event at- tended by supporters and party members across the state, Jandor said his decision to contest the governorship of Lagos State was as a result of years of planning and studying of the situation in the state, saying that Lagos was living in past glory despite its huge resources and needed to be rescued. He said that if elected into office his administration would declare free compulsory primary and secondary education in the state and also provide educational materials including uniforms to pupils.
He further promised that his adminis- tration would build and provide infrastructure in hospitals across the state, check the increasing cases of limited bed space and upgrade equip- ment in the state-owned hospitals.
“We have been on this for the past seven years through Lagos4Lagos Movement and now we are in PDP. What we intend to do freely is to see that in all the sectors of the economy in the state we should have iconic projects. “We should not see children hawking again. That are why we say that education should be given a basic pri- ority. We don’t have a government in Lagos that cares for us.
This government has been paying lip service to free education. We know that with the resources in Lagos State, we can make primary education free and compulsory. “We would ensure that we don’t only have free education but uni- forms given to pupils and the uniform would be sown by the people in the locality. It is only then we can say it is a criminal for not seeing your children go to school.” Speaking further, Jandor stressed that his administration would open up Lagos’s economy and create an enabling environment for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to strive, and initiate policies and pro- grammes that would assist entrepreneurship and creativity in the state.
He added that if elected into office his administration would improve the security situation in Lagos, and initiate measures to check traffic congestion and robbery in most parts of the state. Jandor was actually on the move to carry out all that he said, which is the reason he campaigned effectively, traversing the whole 245 wards across Lagos State to see first-hand the Lagos that he repeatedly said, he would give a facelift and provide a breath of fresh air to millions of Lagosians.
