The aftermath of Lagos gubernatorial debate
Lagos state conducted its gubernatorial debate on Sunday evening where Babajide Sanwo-Olu of All Progressive Congress, APC; Jimi Agbaje of People’s Democratic Party, PDP; Babatunde Gbadamosi of Action Democratic Party, ADP; and Owolabi Salis of Action for Democracy, AD, each took the stage to persuade Lagosians on why they’re the best hand for the job.
The program which was organized by the Platform NG and aired on Channels TV sought to evaluate the ideas and the capacity of all four gubernatorial candidates in the state and to give the people a clear picture of who to vote for.
Apart from Jimi Agbaje who has been contesting to be the governor of Lagos for the past 12 years, all other participants who are vying for the position are new entrants. None of them, including Agbaje have been tested in any capacity that equals to the post they’re aspiring to take, and this somehow makes it a level playing field for all parties involved.
More than anyone else, the performance of Babatunde Gbadamosi of ADP was quite impressive in the gubernatorial debate, so much that people are wondering why only fewer people knew about him prior to the debate. If his deliberations are something to go by, he’s referenced as being the one with the best ideas on how to improve the odds of everyday Lagosians, but there’s no telling on how far he’ll go at the polls.
Jimi Agbaje of PDP was equally convincing in his speech, but there’s this cold reception that some people have about his continuous and unfading ambition of becoming the governor of Lagos, because it seems like he does not participate fully in the affairs of the state once the electioneering period is over.
APC’s Babajide Sanwo-Olu who’s somewhat billed as the golden child of the political elites in the state after being handpicked by Bola Tinubu was being watched by everyone to ascertain his capacity and the reason why he was chosen to replace Akinwunmi Ambode. He made solid points as well and insisted the he is a man of his own against the backdrop of being regarded as the delivery man of the state cabals.
The candidate of Action for Democracy, Owolabi Salis hammered down on returning the commonwealth of the state back to the people, while insinuating that the people are being shortchanged daily by the ruling elite.
In the end, points were taken and decisions were made across the state as people get ready to go to the polls in March 2019. The question has always been, ‘who will be the next governor of Lagos state’? The best answer to that question will always be; only time will tell.
