Lagos guber: Consensus breeds bad blood, we’re all going for primaries — APC aspirant

An aspirant in the governorship race under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Olokun Lanre Jim-Kamal, has said the amended Electoral Act strengthened the conduct of party primaries and reduced the influence of consensus arrangements.

Jim-Kamal spoke on Monday in Lagos during the unveiling of his five-point agenda for the state.

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assenting to the amended Electoral Act, which he said enhanced internal party democracy.

“The Electoral Act vindicated many of us during the last House of Representatives primary election, where some endorsed candidates lost,” he said.

The governorship aspirant criticised consensus arrangements within political parties, insisting that all aspirants should participate in direct primaries.

“If consensus stands, the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, will not be running from pillar to post seeking support. Consensus breeds bad blood. There is nothing like consensus. We are all going for primaries,” he said.

Jim-Kamal also announced Abiola Okoya, daughter of businessman Razaq Okoya, as his deputy governorship aspirant.

Highlighting his programme for the state, the APC aspirant unveiled a five-point agenda focused on automated free education at all levels, free healthcare services, women and elderly empowerment, mass housing, security, job creation and road infrastructure renewal.

He pledged to reconstruct roads across Lagos and address traffic congestion through housing development and urban renewal projects.

The governorship hopeful also promised mechanised farming and fishing programmes modelled after Norway’s system, alongside plans to eliminate youth unemployment within one year of assuming office.

According to him, unemployed youths registered through local government councils would receive a monthly allowance of ₦100,000 pending job placement, while elderly persons above 60 years and nursing mothers would receive ₦150,000 monthly support.

He further pledged to establish and enforce old people’s homes across the state.

Jim-Kamal claimed that foreign partners were prepared to invest $50 billion in agriculture and human capital development if he emerged victorious in the APC governorship primary.

“We have the manpower and the team. I know how to source the resources because I am a development expert. Our partners are ready to invest in rice farming and coconut production in Badagry,” he stated.

He said his administration would focus on correcting what he described as “the anomalies of the past” in Lagos politics and governance.

Tracing his political journey, the aspirant said he began active politics in 1988 when he contested for the chairmanship position under the old Ikeja Local Government as the youngest aspirant at the time.

According to him, he later became involved in the formation of a youth movement known as Dynamic Youths, which he said expanded across the country.

He added that he had contested for several political offices, including chairman, member of the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate under the defunct Alliance for Democracy and the Peoples Democratic Party before returning to the APC.

Jim-Kamal, who was also the immediate past deputy governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, said his decision to join the governorship race was informed by the need to “put things right in Lagos State.”