It is less than six months to the 2019 general election and candidates are doing all to sell their personal and party brands to the general populace.
One that has really caught the attention of many observers is the re-election bid of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state.
The Governor is at logger heads with the party leadership who have thrown their weight behind a certain Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu a three-time commissioner in Lagos and the boss of the Lagos State Property Development Corporation, LSDPC.
After the state executive election is Lagos state, information had filtered that the state would be adopting a direct primaries for her choice on who the party’s flag bearer would be in the 2019 Gubernatorial election.
Lagos being the first to hint for a direct primaries was a sign that all wasn’t well within the party. After the National Working Committee of the All Progressive Congress met on August 28, 2018 it was agreed that each state should make her choice between direct and Indirect primaries for her choice of candidates with approval from the National headquarters in Abuja.
The signs were there that the Incubent Governor would have it tough winning the primaries as his major competitor had gotten the backing of not only the top wigs of the party but also that of the 57 LCDA Chairmen in the state.
Less than 24 hours to the Primary election of the All Progressive Congress of Lagos state, which was to hold on September 30,2018 but postponed to October 1, 2018, the incubent Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode organised a World Press Conference to discuss issues around his re-election bid.
Akinwunmi Ambode during his World Press Conference
Whoever advised Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to hold that conference (World Press Conference ) should be stone to death.
It failed in every capacity.
1.The Governor further demonstrated that he isn’t a good student of Nigerian Politics.
2. That was a matter of the Party not for the general populace, and there is no international news outfit that would find that interesting for an Headline news.
3. If Sanwo-olu is mentally imbalanced like the Governor claims , why appoint him to head an agency in your administration. I guess the Governor just found out .
4. Ambode isn’t one of the speakers around, His presentation skill didn’t do justice to the script before him or he derailed from that which was written.
5. I would have expected that the issues to be raised by the Governor would be more reinforcing a singular vision which would be explained by his achievements as the Governor of Lagos state but he had to make it about persons.
Where I stand.
I have not being a fan of Ambode and wouldn’t be . BRF raised the bar so high that it seemingly became an herculean task for him to fill that void.
He became petty when it consistently appeared that he was trying to undo BRF’s legacy and fuel the notion that he was in competition with his predecessor .
I would never rate a Lagos state governor who does roads and bridges high ( That is a standard in Oyo state not Lagos)
I want to see a Governor who drives policies. That is the new order of Governance ; Policies.
Ambode for me failed in this regards .
Branding Take Away.
While its easy to remember that this script has been played before with the former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF), who also had issues when he sought re-election by the party for a second term the difference is the reaction of the populace when you compare both .
In the former, the people of Lagos had their foot on the ground for the continuation of the good works of BRF but the same isn’t seemingly happening with AMBO.
In BRF’s first term of four years, he successfully built a brand for himself. He was and is that Governor that was accessible , punctual, a friend of the people, engendered intellectual discourse , loves sport ( Red Devils fan ) etc. While for Ambo the same cannot be said. Word on the street has it that the Governor and his wife are proud and have discarded all those who helped them in getting the party ticket and winning the election.
The role played bt the latter and the former’s wives in building a brand and endearing them to the people of Lagos is also very important. Mr Fashola was most often present at events that had youths and children compared to Mrs Ambode. While you love BRF for his work and passion for delivering good governance , you would also love him more for the support system his wife built and watered.
In Conclusion, its easy to conclude that AMBO was lax in preempting the scenarios ( defining his target market , identifying the gap in the market and probing if there was a market in the gap ) that could play out after winning the 2015 election thus hampering the nature of structures he built and relationship in established for the success of a second term bid.