The National and House of Assembly polls have come and gone, and winners across the country have collected their Certificates of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The next step before the inauguration of the next assembly early next month is the race for the seats of principal officers of the Houses, most especially, the seat of the Speaker, who is the forth citizen of the state. In all these, Lagos State is not left out as not less than eight contestants on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have already commenced consultations within the party and among their various colleagues.
Lagos State House of Assembly has 40 members with APC having 32 while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accounts for the remaining eight members. Of the 32 APC seats, only 20 are returning for another term, meaning they are the ranking officers and are qualified to vie for the office of the Speaker. It is said that there is a tradition in the Lagos Assembly that a first time member cannot emerge as the Speaker and whoever would emerge should have served as a member or must be a ranking member.
However, this argument can be punctured if we go back into the history of the Lagos House of Assembly. In 1999, all the 40 pioneer members were first timers and green horns. Yet, one of them, Dr. Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, became the first Speaker in the dispensation. The medical doctor cum politician had no prior legislative experience, yet he performed excellently for four years before moving on to the senate.
Also, his successor, Hon. Jokotola Pelumi was declared Speaker of the most vibrant state, Lagos, ever before the 2003 general election. At a campaign rally in Epe, the leadership of the then Alliance for Democracy (AD), raised up his hand and declared that he would succeed Mamora as Speaker and it came to pass. The Epe-born Pelumi, without any legislative experience not only won the election, he also became the Speaker in 2003 even with the presence of returning members with four years legislative experience.
Interestingly, when Pelumi was impeached barely after two years in office, the current Speaker, Thabit Adeyemi Ikuforiji, who was just two years in the House succeeded him even with other members with six years experience around. Ikuforiji has been there now for ten years.
Zoning
It is on record that the leadership of the APC has zoned all the important offices, most especially the top three, across the three senatorial districts in the state namely, Lagos East, West and Central. While the governor, Akinwumi Ambode, has already come from the Lagos East and his deputy hails from the Lagos West, the office of the Speaker, automatically should go to the Lagos Central unarguably.
Although some contestants from the East and West are also warming up for the speakership seat, Daily Sun can report authoritatively that some of the templates on ground are in favour of the Central District. Right now, the State Chairman of the APC, Henry Oladele Ajomole, is from the West, his Deputy, Cardinal Omolaja Odunmbaku is also from the west. Other party officers from the West are the Assistant Chairman, Funso Ologunde, South-West Woman Leader, Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson, National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, South-West Youth Leader and the Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Ranti Adebule among others.
Again, in the just concluded general elections, the Lagos West chapter of the APC lost about five out of its ten local government areas to the opposition parties-PDP and Accord Party (AP). Giving the zone the seat of Mr. Speaker, would amount to compensating failure.
Criteria
Daily Sun learnt that the party leadership had reeled out some criteria to be met by aspiring candidates to the office of the Speaker. The criteria, according to our checks include cool headedness, cognate experience like legislative, administrative and executive experiences, sound educational qualifications. Above all, he must be a party man to the core, who is loyal and who knows the workings of the party.
The aspirants
Those who have spent more than two terms in the House of Assembly and who are coming back for a third term are Mudashiru Obasa, Bayo Oshinowo, Moshood Oshun, Funmilayo Tejuosho, Saka Fafunmi, and Gbolahan Yishawu. Among these ones, Oshun and Yishawu are from Lagos central senatorial district which the APC allegedly zoned the speakership to.
Osun, who represents Lagos Mainland 11 has been in the Assembly since 2003, and would be returning to the Assembly for a third time. Yishawu Gbolahan also represents Eti-Osa constituency 2 and comes from Lagos Central and these lawmakers are among those hopeful of emerging as Speaker.
Another contender for the position who is being speculated to be favoured by the party hierarchy is Wasiu Eshilokun. The issue of a first timer not emerging as speaker may favour Eshilokun because he had in the past served as a member of the house between 1999 and 2003 and won a second term in the just concluded House of Assembly.
Between 2003 and 2007, Prince Eshinlokun-Sanni did not leave the House of Assembly finally as he was appointed because having recognized his sterling qualities and versatitity as a member of the House of Assembly, the then Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him as his Senior Assistant on Legislative and Political Matters. In this capacity, he was responsible for reporting and monitoring the activities of the National and State House of Assemblies on behalf of the governor.
In addition to this legislative experience, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), in 2008, also appointed him as Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Micro Finance Institution (LASMI). He was later elected twice as the Executive Chairman of the elite council-Lagos Island Local Government. And before he contested and won his return mandate to the House, Eshinloku-Sanni was elected the State Secretary of the APC in Lagos State. With this cognate experience, the light complexioned and vocal administrator, who holds a Master Degree in International Law and Diplomacy from University of Lagos and Harvard University, USA, Certificate in Negotiation and Leadership appears to hold the ace to the office of Mr. Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly.
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