Akiolu: No one should contest against Ambode in 2019

Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has advised Lagos governorship hopefuls not to contest against the incumbent governor, Akinwumi Ambode, in the 2019 election.

The monarch on Thursday said Ambode and his deputy, Oluranti Adebule, will govern Lagos state for the next six years.

He noted that fielding anyone against the pair would be a money-wasting venture.

THISDAY quoted him to have said this at the 21st convocation of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.

Akiolu said Ambode’s stellar performance in less than two years was enough to merit a second term in office.

“Few days ago, one of the aspirants greeted me. After greeting, he alleged that I halted his ambition. No one should come out in 2019 and declare his ambition,” he said.

“The only way to avoid not wasting their money is to support Ambode and his deputy to rule Lagos for the next six years. That was why about nine months to the 2015 governorship election, I said Ambode would be the next governor whether they vote or not.

“But all of them doubted me. I often pray before and after leaving the bed. That is one of few things I learnt from the late father of Prof. Peter Oke-Bukola, who served as my cadet officer then. Even though he was much older than I am, he was very humble.

“The prayer has helped me a lot. The state of Nigeria indicates the type of police it gets. As a police officer, I served for 32 years. That is why I can confidently say I never collected money from anyone before performing my duties as a law enforcement officer.”