•Holds talks with PDP, LP candidates
Lagos State may witness the first major battle between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which was adopted by a coalition of political leaders last Wednesday in Abuja.
The Nigerian Tribune reliably learnt that coalition commenced moves to test the strength and capacity alliance through next weekend’s local government election in the nation’s former federal capital.
Sources informed the Nigerian Tribune that the interim secretary of the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, reportedly met with some candidates of the Labour Party (LP) and their Peoples democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend in Lagos towards adopting consensus candidates for Saturday’s local government elections in Lagos.
The discussion for collaboration comes on the heels of fresh information on the role played by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the emergence of the former governor of Osun State as the interim secretary of the ADC.
Recall that Aregbedola served as the commissioner for works during the tenure of Bola Tinubu as the governor of the state between 1999 and 2007.
He became the governor of Osun State under the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), formed by Tinubu.
Sources within the ADC told the Nigerian Tribune that Aregbesola hosted the PDP and Labour Party candidates shortly after he flew in from Abuja on the need to present a united front at the election coming up on Saturday.
The election is slated for the 20 LGAs and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state.
However, only the ruling APC is fielding candidates in all the LGAs and LCDAs, as both the PDP and the Labour Party are concentrating their efforts on only the 20 LGAs.
The APC conducted primaries at its Ikeja headquarters to select candidates for the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas.
The Labour Party chairperson in the state, Pastor Dayo Ekong, said the party would field chairmanship candidates on Saturday.
Ekong explained that the candidates emerged from primary elections held in only 26 of Lagos State’s 57 councils, stressing that the Labour Party would not present candidates in 30 councils for strategic reasons.
“The ADC interim secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, met with ADC, PDP, and LP in Lagos. It was an exploratory talk on possible accord to present consensus candidates at the local government elections slated for Saturday this week in Lagos,” one of the sources said.
Further details of the discussion could not be ascertained as of presstime on Sunday, but another source said similar talks at different levels would be held before the elections.
While addressing his supporters at the airport in Lagos on Thursday after the ADC unveiling on Wednesday in Abuja, Aregbesola had promised to deliver Lagos State to the coalition through the platform of ADC, but cautioned his loyalists against mudslinging.
In the meantime, information has emerged on the decision of Aregbesola’s acceptance to be the secretary of the ADc after the initial rejection of the offer based on strategic political reasons.
He reportedly accepted the appointment following discussion former President Obasanjo had with him on the offer.
“The former President had called him to accept the seat. Obasanjo has also called him to discuss his seat with the former governor. They have an excellent rapport,” the source stated.
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