By Modupe Gbadeyanka
There is a plot to disqualify a former permanent secretary in the Lagos civil service, Mr Olorunfemi Mustapha by the screening committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 governorship election in the state, a support group known as Mustapha4Lagos Agenda has alleged.
The body, which is working for the actualisation of the gubernatorial ambition of the gubernatorial aspirant, claimed that the reason for the plan to disqualify Mustapha is to give the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, an easy ride to the government house next year.
Mr Sanwo-Olu wants to serve the state for another term of four years when his current tenure expires on May 20, 2023, but Mr Mustapha also wants the position. However, he must get the party’s ticket to unseat the Governor or go to another party to contest against him.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the head of Mustapha4Lagos Agenda, Bukola Ogundipe, claimed that the strategy is to screen out Mr Mustapha today as he is regarded as one of the biggest threats to Mr Sanwo-Olu.
The group revealed that the politician’s legal team is meeting with the national body of the party to quash the plot.
“We have uncovered a plot to disqualify our aspirant from the race; they know that the only way they can stop Mustapha from getting the party ticket is to make sure he doesn’t participate in the primary.
“Let us forget about the noise they are making, he is the man to beat. We are very certain that their plot will not see the light of the day because Mustapha is clean and meets all the criteria required by the constitution of our party and the guidelines for the elections,” Ogundipe said.
“As we speak, our lawyers have met with the leadership of our party in Abuja to make sure that this evil plot does not see the light of the day. The national body must step up and quash this evil plan.
“Sanwo-Olu has been throwing money around, spending billions to buy people but this is about the future of our state and the leadership of our party in Lagos knows that we can’t continue with the abysmal performance of the incumbent,” Ogundipe added.
