The Lagos State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Stephen Adegbite, has revealed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu “narrowly escaped not being allowed to go for a second term”.
Newsbreak.ng reports that Bishop Adegbite stated that Sanwo-Olu was only allowed to contest again after the intervention of CAN, Lagos State chapter.
Recall that in April, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-controlled Governance Advisory Council (GAC), an apex decision-making organ of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, had endorsed Governor Sanwo-Olu for a second term in office for the 2023 gubernatorial election.
An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), expressed displeasure with the endorsement, saying it was in violation of the long-standing unwritten rule on rotational governance between Muslims and Christians in Lagos State.
Explaining how Gov. Sanwo-Olu managed to scale the obstacle, Bishop Adegbite told Punch in a recent interview: “When the time came for the Christian body to demand a Christian governor, despite the objection of the sitting governor to it, Bola Tinubu accepted that a Christian must also rule as a governor and that was why we had (Akinwunmi) Ambode.
“After four years of Ambode, he was removed and was not given the opportunity to rule for second term, Babajide Sanwo-Olu won the election.
“He (Sanwo-Olu) narrowly escaped not being allowed to go for a second term but the church in Lagos also stood and approached Tinubu that he should be allowed because Muslims have ruled Lagos State for 15 years. So Christians should continue at least for another four years and he (Tinubu) agreed and that is why Sanwo-Olu is contesting again.”
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