As you read this piece, the All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate for Lagos State, is all set to appear at the Salvation Road based NiteShift Coliseum, which used to be the best and purposely built niteclub in Nigeria.
Sanwa-Olu is scheduled to appear on the club’s flagship Grand House Reception (GHR), that had hosted all the who in who in Nigeria including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate Presidents Adolpus Wabara, Ken Nnamani, former Ghana President, Jerry Rawlings, the late world heavyweight boxer, Mohammed Ali, among others.
One will also not forget in a hurry the altercation that ensued between the club owner, Mr. Ken-Calebs Olumese and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole when the later was the governor of Edo State over the former’s invitation of the ex-governor to the club. Though, the issues at stake then was resolved but the war of word then left a big dent on the programme.
That Sanwa Olu has agreed to be the guest of the Coliseum this Sunday years after the club had closed shop and the edifice converted into an events venue, speaks volume of the esteem the APC community holds Coliseum and Olumese in.
That he considers the club members his potential voters is an indication that Sanwa -Olu who had engaged stakeholders in the state, community leaders, artisans, ethnic nationality leaders, met youths in the streets of Lagos, played football matches with them, engaged in a draft game with the elderly in street corners, is a testimony to the saying that the good one did lives long after him. It shows that the good Olumese did with his club precedes him even in retirement.
However, the most surprising to most people who have followed Sanwa-Olu’s networking/engagement days after he emerged as APC governorship candidate for the March 2, 2019 governorship election and his campaign rallies since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was his decision to take his campaign to the man at the Synagogue, Pastor T.B. Joshua to woo him and his congregation.
Joshua, who some years ago was the butt of all angry words as a result of the death of many uncomfortable members of his congregation when a section of his church which was then under construction caved in and buried most of them alive.
Following Nigerians outcry over the incident and the intial ‘gragra’ by South Africa whose nationals were mostly affected in the collapsed church hostel, the Lagos State government under Babatunde Fashola took the church to court, a process they are still in.
But for the mature way the issue was handled Pretoria and Abuja/Lagos like they say in Nigeria parlance ” for don enter one chance,”
And for Sanwa Olu to now endorse the church by going there to canvass for votes with his host smiling sheeplishly as he ushered his guests into the church some say might be, ‘ I told you people that nothing will come out of this case” and while others are saying what if the church tells him that one of the conditions on which they can support him is if he pledges to drop the case as soon as he gets there because as it is now, Sanwa Olu is more likely to succeed Akinwunmi Ambode on May 29, 2019. While others also see his latest act as a seeming act of desperacy.
This is so because he seems to be campaigning against himself – rally for rally, posters for posters, speaking engagement for speaking engagement. You name it, he is miles ahead of pretenders who claim to be his opponents.
Not surprisingly,New dawn gathered that funding for the campaign were gathered not from the sitting government and governor whom he had defeated at the primaries,but rather from interested stakeholders,who he said,”wanted to be identified with him before he gets to power.this us what is going on my brother”.
Some say that Sanwa-Olu’s visit to the church all in the name of campaign can be likened to one dancing on the graves of the the faithfuls who departed and that it shows his desperation for power. That all it means is that he can do anything to get the power including appearing in the then dreaded Okija Shrine if necessary.
But others see nothing wrong in the visit. To them, Sanwa-Olu might have gone there to hear from the horse’s mouth what actually happened. How best to prevent a recurrence and perhaps what best ways to pay compensation to the the families of the dead ones. After all, they say to ‘err is human and to forgive is divine.’
But whatever divide one belongs to, Sanwa-Olu has shown with his campaign outings, that he is prepared for the job. That he is the best man for the job while others are just making up the number. Or at best pretenders who will be the first to cry foul when the election’s result is announced.
No matter from what perspective you look st it this is a campaign which both Sanwo -Olu and his supporters and godfathers in the APC are not leaving any chances especially in the light of the not too trusting stance of the incumbent governor,Akinwunmi Ambode,who had been accused of surreptitiously using state funds to support the opposition all in a bid to take his pound of flesh from the party leaders who dumped him for Sanwo olu.
This is not helped by his decision to abadon the campaign and on going critical projects but instead jumped on the Presidential campaign of President Buhari following him everywhere and leaving Sanwo olu to carry- his -can.
These are indeed interesting times in the Center of Excellence.
Time will tell whether Ambode can maintain his relevance in the state politics after this years elections.
