APC Unveils Akinwunmi Ambode as the next Governor of Lagos State

Former Accountant General of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode

There are indications that the All Progressive Congress (APC) has endorsed and informally unveiled Akinwunmi Ambode as the next governor of Lagos State.

Ambode has held meetings with political editors and has fixed another meeting for news editors as part of effort to secure their support ahead of his formal adoption as flag bearer of the party.

Ambode’s imposing posters were not just in strategic places at the weekend when the Lagos State congress of the APC was held to elect officials to run the party, it was the only posters allowed in and around the venue of the event. APC sources say the development is a clear indication that he already has the blessing of the godfathers of the party.

His emergence may however offend the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola who many say currently has soft spot for his Commissioner for Works, Mr. Obafemi Hamzat.

However, Ambode is also from the East(Epe), where the governorship ticket for the party has been zoned by chief kingmaker of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His emergence has suddenly sealed hopes for the likes of Senator Ganiyu Olarewaju Solomon(GOS), former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan and former Permanent Secretary in Lands Bureau, Senator Gbenga Asafa.

Even Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji also from Epe, who has been holding meetings to drum up support for his emergence as flag bearer of the party has long fallen out of favour in the political calculation of those who hold the key to whoever will represent the party in 2015.

It is not clear if the speaker will drop his ambition now that it is clear that the APC has picked Ambode for the position.

Ambode, 50 was born June 14, 1963 in Epe. He is an accountant, an administrator and a public finance management expert.

He is the chief executive officer of Brandsmiths Consulting Limited – a firm that specializes in public sector finance management. Ambode was formerly the accountant-general of Lagos State, Nigeria, and held many sensitive financial positions in the Lagos State government in a 27-year career in the Lagos State civil service.

He was forced to resign during the era of Governor Babatunde Fashola. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management. Ambode is the founder of the La Roche Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on developing the next generation of leaders. He is the 6th of 10 children and married to Bolanle Patience Ambode (nee Odukomaiya) and they are blessed with children.