Battle of titans for Lagos East senatorial seat

As politicians begin to jostle for the vacant seat of the Lagos East Senatorial District of the Lagos State, following the death of Senator Sikiru Bayo Osinowo. BOLA BADMUS writes on the attendant issues so far.

 

Residents of Lagos State, especially in the Lagos East senatorial district will soon go to poll to fill the vacant seat left in the Senate by Senator Sikiru Bayo  Osinowo, who died recently.  The senator, who was a four-term member of the state House of Assembly from 2003, was elected into the Senate in 2019, and was, until his death, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Industry. In the last general election, the deceased, who contested on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), defeated his closest rival, Princess AbiodunOyefusi, of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Already, there are various permutations, especially on the factors that could influence the choice of voters this time round. Some believe that certain dynamics that swayed the electorate have either changed or ebbed, others contend that the public perception of the candidate and platform they represent have become most critical and germane. And the calibre of the touted names as possible replacement for Osinowo is quite intimidating, with virtually all of them having distinguished themselves at various levels of human endeavours either in the public or private life. They include season politicians, astute administrators, professionals and other distinguished individuals.

For instance, names of the immediate past governor of the state, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji; Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Osinowo’s predecessor; Chief Lanre Razak, former Commissioner for Transportation in the state; Dr Tola Kasali, a two-time commissioner in the state; and Honourable Dayo-Bush Alebiosu, another two-term former member of the lower chamber of National Assembly, who represented Kosofe Federal Constituency of the state.

It would be recalled that Late Senator Osinowo contested the party primaries with the then sitting Senator Ashafa, whom he defeated to clinch the party ticket. The deceased eventually won the general election. But before Osinowo secured the APC ticket, he equally slugged it out with a few other party buffs, including Chief Razak, a former Commissioner for Transportation and currently one of the members of Governor’s Advisory Committee (GAC) in the state.

The importance attached to the planned bye-election by the political parties is further underscored by the pedigree and calibre of the leaders of the PDP in the state being linked to the contest. These personalities include Princess Abiodun Oyefusi; her then challenger for the PDP ticket, Babatunde Adisa and Mr Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, who contested the last governorship poll on the platform of Action Democratic Party (ADP) but has since returned to PDP.

With the return of Gbadamosi, who is also from Ikorodu area of the state as Princess Oyefusi, into PDP, pundits contend that the latter will need to work extra hard to re-secure the PDP ticket. Both aspirants have individual areas of strength, resources and different levels of network.

Similarly, the contest for the ticket of the APC, according to observers, also promises to be a keen fight as former Speaker Ikuforiji is believed to have been nursing the ambition of going to the Senate for some time. He was not favoured for the position by the party leadership then which preferred Senator Ashafa retain his seat in the Senate for a second term in 2015. Now that another opportunity has come knocking, both Ashafa and Ikuforiji could want to try their luck in the party primaries to be held when the APC would have been done with the mourning of Osinowo. Coincidentally, Chief Razak, who is also from Epe as Ikuforiji, had stepped down for Senator Osinowo in the then party primaries before the 2019 election. The former commissioner and seasoned politician, is also said to be eyeing the Senate seat again. He has a lot of experience in diverse endeavours thus his popularity within and outside the state.

On his part, former Governor Ambode is expected to leverage on his records as a seasoned bureaucrat, administrator, professional and politician. The public space is abuzz with the record as a professional and governor of the centre of excellence. He still savours enormous goodwill and support at the grassroots level.

Another personality of the APC extraction, who is said to be interested in the vacant position, is DrKasali, a two-time commissioner in the state, with astounding record of performance under Governor Bola Tinubu and who had, on two occasions, sought to become governor. Also, the name of Dayo-Alebiosu, a two-term former member of House of Representatives in Abuja, has continued to feature with his allies and friends flaunting what they regard as his enviable record of performance to recommend him for the vacant position in the Senate. Alebiosu was a former special assistant to the governor of Lagos State on Housing and he first got elected into the lower chamber of the National Assembly in 2007 with a total of 100,000 votes, more than any elected representative in Nigeria. He secured another term in 2011 and served as the pioneer chairman of the House Committee on Treaties and Agreements; and also served as the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The former lawmaker, who represented Kosofe Federal Constituency, also served in different committees, including the National Security, Petroleum (Upstream), Gas Resources, and Justice. Incidentally, he comes from Kosofe, the very constituency where the late Senator Osinowo hailed from. However, not a few political analysts believe that the final decision of who will finally fly the APC flag in the bye-election rests squarely with a national leader of the party, Tinubu based on party loyalty and dedication.

From all indications, it is a battle of titans. The winner of the ticket of the parties will bear the burden of stamping the authority and control of their individual parties on the turf of the senatorial zone nay the state.

 

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