Lagosians not happy with APC govt, ready for change – ADC chairman, Ashiru

The Lagos State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, George Ashiru, speaks with ISMAEEL UTHMAN on the party’s chances of winning the state in the 2027 elections

ADC has attracted considerable attention at the national level, but little has been heard about the party’s activities in Lagos State. How is the party faring?

Lagos has been at the forefront of ADC’s promotion nationwide. We welcomed thousands of new members into the party in various affirmation events since July last year, and we also had the most robust and largest primaries participation of any opposition party. Our media engagement was continuous and consistent, and it is fair to say all political pundits and the electorate at large are very familiar with the ADC in Lagos. In the past few months, we have focused on strategic internal restructuring post-primaries in preparation for the actual campaigns. Soon, consequent on the presidential candidate’s flag-off, our 75-day sprint will saturate the state and the nation to introduce our policies and manifestos to the electorate directly at the grassroots.

The All Progressives Congress, which emerged from the merger of parties including the Action Congress of Nigeria, has been ruling Lagos for over 25 years. Do you think the ADC has what it takes to challenge the APC’s dominance?

The ruling party in Lagos is essentially the same political system and structure going back to the days of the Unity Party of Nigeria in the Second Republic. It has metamorphosed over the years in attempts to be part of a centre-right national party. However, a vox populi of Lagosians shows an acute dissatisfaction with the impact of the implementation of punitive policies that have impoverished more people than they have empowered. The ADC, being a party that historically always believed in people-centred governance, is poised to provide a credible alternative in vision, economic initiatives, and transformational approach to leadership that will inspire confidence in residents to be more productive and enjoy more equitable participation in statehood. That way, we boost productivity and improve our overall revenue without unduly punitive indirect taxation. We are listening to the people, just like the way the Democratic Party listened to American voters, and the result is an electoral tsunami in their favour.

The Labour Party won the 2023 presidential election in Lagos, but the APC has vowed to win the state in 2027. Do you think the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has any chance in the state?

The elections of 2023 were inspired by the need for change following eight years of a struggling economic and security situation in the country. The voters wanted a different political system and party to bring back hope for a better life. This sentiment favoured the Labour Party, and they were able to attract the young and passionate emerging leaders of Nigeria to their principal candidate.

At that time, the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party were seen as both being jointly responsible for the plight of Nigerians. There was an earnest need for a change, and the Labour Party had candidates that identified with that yearning. The result was a resounding rebuke of the ruling party. Those sentiments are even more acute now. Lagosians are still groaning under the weight of multiple taxes and insufficient public services for the population and the Gross Domestic Product of the state. The ADC has a popular gubernatorial candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who was part of the 2023 victory of the Labour Party. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is also a household name, being a former Vice President in what was regarded as a relatively successful transition into civil rule. He is on a better platform than his previous party, and his policies are regarded as being more people-friendly. My objective assessment, based on the grassroots work going on in the ADC as well as public sentiment, will tilt the voters in our favour.

Are you saying Atiku will win Lagos?

I believe he will spring a surprise in Lagos. Politics exists to win elections and govern nations. Our expectations therefore do not vary from that fundamental truth. A free and fair election will be in the favour of the ADC, and that is what we require and expect. Our democracy must not be seen to be a form of civil-military rule. There must be freedom to vote, and all votes by the electorate must count. We are all Nigerians, and no one’s rights or franchise should be denied. On that basis, I can confidently say ADC Lagos will also surprise everyone with our performance. We work quietly; we build into the roots so we can spring out when the elections come.

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What is your party’s assessment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, and what alternative policies would the ADC offer Lagos residents?

The ruling party has worked on a generational blueprint. That means the policies and leadership are all contained in the culture of their apex leadership. The governor has given his party a continuation of the same decades-old governance, but the administration has come to an end, and Lagosians yearn for something new in priorities. We plan a more robust intervention in universal healthcare. We will invest in higher standards of public education with a galvanised passion for vocational training and the digital economy. We need to invest more in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises to reduce unemployment to the barest minimum. Our transportation system is still mostly archaic, and tourists cannot use our public transportation system to move around. Housing is still expensive, and where the government has invested in it, they have been too little and selective in allocation. We need to plan for the 50 million folks that will live in Lagos in the next few decades.

There have been allegations that Atiku has not been funding the party’s activities in the South-West. How true is this?

There is nowhere in the party’s constitution that states a political party should be funded by a presidential candidate or any individual! All members pay statutory fees, and all members freely contribute to the party’s coffers for administrative purposes and party activities. As for the presidential campaign, Atiku and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, most certainly have a budget for that purpose, and that will saturate every part and region of the party in furtherance of voter mobilisation. The South-West will not be an exemption, especially now that the campaign has been officially flagged off.

Atiku’s allies and associates were said to be running his political activities instead of the party structure in the region. Do you agree with this?

As I have said previously, candidates can freely donate to the party, and all candidates do so in addition to their purchase of nomination forms. To that effect, it is the National Working Committee that runs the party, and not the candidates. You may be referring to Atiku’s long-time support groups, and those are not necessarily in the party structures. They are groups associated with their preferred candidates. All popular candidates have their independent support groups. In 2024, a massive support group was responsible for Mr Donald Trump in the US presidential elections, and in Nigeria we know that results of the presidential elections in Lagos were also largely influenced by the support groups of the winning candidate.

President Bola Tinubu is from the South-West, and many people have been canvassing support for his re-election to complete the eight-year Yoruba presidential tenure. How do you intend to campaign for a northern candidate in the face of this regional consideration?

The ADC is an ideological party and has never adopted zoning in either our culture or our constitution. So, we support the candidacy of whomever the majority of our members choose during the primaries. We have a coalition of members from across the country and do not want to start a culture of hanging the nation’s destiny on rotation rather than capacity. Lagos, being a cosmopolitan state, is uniquely positioned to give voters of various demographics the choice of candidates. We appeal to the youths by presenting a young gubernatorial candidate, and also to women with our 15 female candidates. We also have candidates in Lagos ADC from all the major ethnic groups in the country, representative of the nature of the Lagos population.

What are the challenges confronting the ADC in Lagos and the South-West generally?

Our experience may well be different from that of other states. Our major concern has always been that of the security of our party members, candidates, and supporters. Our experience over the past year suggests we are uniquely vulnerable to those who do not want any serious opposition party to exist or thrive. As a state that proudly pronounces itself as the “Centre of Excellence,” we still lag behind in electoral civility. That is why, despite having the largest roll of registered voters, our voter apathy is the highest in Nigeria. It has been a case of us being ruled by the will of the minority. We have goodwill amongst the populace, but the feedback we get in every engagement with the electorate is connected to safety and voter security before, during, and immediately after the elections. We are also concerned that the security agencies are not proactive in these regards.