As the 2015 general elections approaches the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu zoned the Lagos West senatorial ticket to Alimosho Federal Constituency.
Inarguably this honour came to Alimosho not only as the voting capital of Lagos State, but it was also payback for sixteen years of unyielding loyalty and unflinching support by the leaders and members of the constituency to the progressive causes and projects led by Tinubu.
Hon. Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire the then Deputy Governor of Lagos State, and the Secretary of the Alimosho APC apex body the G-18, was penciled down to fight the epic battle, to deliver the 28 councils under the Lagos West Senatorial District, for the party as the standard-bearer.
In the build-up to the commencement of the 2015 general elections, Tinubu requested a meeting with Alimosho G-18 and Hon Adejoke Orelope Adefulire the proposed candidate. He intimidated the audience with his decision to field Hon Orelope Adefulire as the party’s flag bearer on the condition that she fund her campaign, he explained that he has three major campaigns before him, namely the Muhammadu Buhari presidential campaign, the Akinwunmi Ambode FCA gubernatorial campaign and that of his wife Senator Remi Tinubu in Lagos Central, he cannot afford to add Lagos West to it.
Hon Orelope Adefulire responded that she did not have the means to shoulder the huge Lagos West senatorial district campaign, even as a serving Deputy Governor, that her boss Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN starve her office of the required patronages.
Tinubu went quiet for a while and later asked if Hon Orelope Adefulire had begun preliminary political activities with the three trailer load bags of rice and the money he gave her for it. She responded that she is yet to do so, but she has distributed one of the trailer loads of rice to her coordinators.
Tinubu then asked the G-18 members if they are aware of this and if she carried them along in the exercise, they replied that they are not aware that she was mobilized with the rice consignment and money, neither were they carried along, though they heard she gave out rice to her closet associates in the constituency, none came to them, none to party officers, neither to party members nor to other constituents in the Lagos West district.
A distraught Tinubu then said Alimosho is not ready, neither is the constituency capable of leading the strategic Lagos West ticket, he informed the gathering that Lagos West is a step away in campaign expenses and logistics to a gubernatorial campaign in Lagos State.
Tinubu opened up that from his contacts the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is set to field the notorious multimillionaire Segun Adewale (Aeroland) and he recalled how hard he fought for the Alimosho federal constituency seat in 2011.
He also said that on good authority that the G-18 were pelted with water at the stakeholders meeting where the candidacy of Hon Orelope Adefulire was announced and there is no need denying this. He calmly told the audience that he has to withdraw the ticket and give it to another constituency and candidate with the means to deliver for the party. He told Hon Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire that if she is unpopular at home as a serving Deputy Governor, then she is definitely unsellable in the remaining nine local government areas.
Alimosho G-18 panicked and lobbied the few Governor’s Advisory Council members with Tinubu at the meeting, they pleaded for 24 hours to shop for an Alimosho candidate that can fund the Lagos West senatorial district campaign. If they failed to find someone then the ticket can be taken from Alimosho federal constituency.
Olamilekan Adeola Solomon FCA then serving as the House of Representatives member representing the constituency, having matched Aeroland wits for wits, a project for projects, power for power, ultimately besting him in the 2011 general election, was approached to take up the gauntlet, and yet again bested Segun Adewale (Aeroland) in the epic Lagos West senatorial district election of 2015.
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/revealed-how-adejoke-orelope-adefulire-lost-lagos-west-senatorial-ticket-in-2015/
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