Kazeem Abaranje, Protem Chairman of Non-political and non-profitmaking group, The Lagos Shephered (TLS), has warned Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, to not complain if the consensus arrangement in the All Progressives Congress (APC) doesn’t favour him in 2027.
Recall that Hamzat recently backed the consensus tradition in public while addressing APC members at the party secretariat in Lagos State.
The APC member was quoted as saying, “Let’s do it the way we have been doing. It is going to be a consensus. We will apportion things to one another,” during the gathering.
Reacting via a press statement, Kazeem wrote that while he understands that Dr. Hamzat was basking in the euphoria of the moment when he made the statement that backed his party’s tradition, his words have been duly noted, and he’ll be reminded when the time is right.
According to him, when the same consensus agreement is upheld in 2027 and the choices of APC’s next governorship candidates do not favor the Deputy Governor, his loyalty to the party will definitely be put to the test.
Kazeem believes that there will be no way for him to alter his stance at that point because he’ll be constantly reminded of his bold statement to prove his commitment to the long-standing party tradition.
“He said this while addressing APC members at the party secretariat in Lagos on Wednesday, ahead of the primaries for local government elections this weekend. The event was widely reported by major national dailies. So, he was not quoted out of context.
Dr. Hamzat was basking in the euphoria of the moment because the current situation, which ceded many positions to him and his group, paid off, hence the statement, claiming it was the party’s tradition.
Unfortunately, those words are significant “notes for file” that will ring true in a couple of years from now when another election cycle is due and his loyalty to the party leadership will be brought to a huge test.
If in the lead-up to the 2027 elections, the party decides “to do it the way it’s been dong it” and settles for a consensus, other than himself in the choice of its next governorship candidates, there would not be room for anyone or group to blackmail the leadership.
He would be reminded of those words above in BOLD immutable PRINTS! This is not to dispute his claims, but to properly put him on the record for espousing such a laudable party tradition.
What we would not do is accept those words just because they are convenient and suit his current craving as a political leader in the state. We will make sure they apply truly as the timeless tradition of the party that has functioned and yielded results over the years,” it read.
