All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders have stressed the need for the Lagos State chapter of the party to give its governorship ticket to former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2027, asserting that he possessed the Midas touch to transform the state if given the opportunity again.
This assertion comes in response to a call by an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), stating that the next governor must be one of their own, a Muslim.
Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders in Lagos, Dr. Oluwaseyi Bamigbade said the call became imperative because Ambode’s four-year tenure as governor from 2015 to 2019 witnessed massive infrastructure development in the state.
Bamigbade, while making the call, noted that numerous groups were consistently yearning for Ambode’s return in 2027 to continue his Midas touch in Lagos’ development agenda. He expressed the belief that Ambode should be given the opportunity for a second term in the Government House as permitted by the constitution.
The APC chieftain recalled that Ambode, as governor, remodeled the state within four years in office, making it an investment destination for big businesses from within and outside the country.
Furthermore, he stated that the former governor significantly impacted the lives of millions of Lagosians during the same period, causing a paradigm shift by extending government attention from urban centers to the suburbs. Ambode opened up narrow roads, transforming them into modern streets with lights that also connected to arterial highways. This approach to project execution facilitated seamless traffic flow on expressways.
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“Within four years in office, he remodeled Lagos, making it an investment destination for big businesses from within and outside the country. He significantly impacted the lives of millions of Lagosians across all spheres, making it seem as if he had been in office for a much longer period.
“He caused a paradigm shift, extending government attention from urban centers to the suburbs, opening up narrow roads, and transforming them into modern streets with lights that also connected to arterial highways. It’s been a seamless arrangement that has prevented traffic congestion on the expressways,” he said.
“Ambode’s health and education initiatives also reached across suburbs in Lagos, providing opportunities for the children of ordinary citizens to access free and decent education that would prepare them for the future.
“Understanding the importance of science in the current educational system, during his tenure, Ambode established templates that suggested a progressive outlook into the future where science and technology would lead,” he added.
Regarding security, Bamigbade mentioned that the Ambode administration established the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency, tasked with collaborating with the Federal Police and other security outfits to ensure a safe Lagos State.
He described the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps as a model for community policing, stating that other state governments were now replicating it due to the prevailing security challenges across the country.
“The Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps is a model for community policing, and other state governments are now replicating it due to the prevailing security challenges,” he said.