The Changing Political Calculations In Lagos

Many factors have shaped the politics of Lagos such that it is hard to
determine where the pendulum of victory will swing tomorrow.

Since 1999, Lagos state has remained a political enclave of the
opposition; from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to Action Congress
(AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now All Progressives
Congress (APC) as opposed to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) at
the federal level.

Ahead of Saturday's election, there are permutations that the state
may be ruled by the ruling party at the centre as from May 29, 2015,
if APC wins the governorship election. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari
(retd), APC's presidential candidate won the penultimate Saturday's
presidential polls. The closeness of the polls shows that Lagos State
is for the first time experiencing its closest political battle since
1999.

The PDP won a record six seats in the House of Representatives from
the state two weeks ago.

The APC lost the Federal Constituencies in Amuwo-Odofin, Ojo,
Oshodi/Isolo, Surulere I and Ajeromi/Ifelodun to the PDP while Accord
party, an unknown party in Lagos, trounced the APC in Mushin. The
greatest shocker was the emergence and victory of two Igbo candidates
namely: Mrs. Rita Orji (Ajeromi/Ifelodun Federal Constituency) and Mr.
Tony Nwulu (Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency both of which are
members of the PDP.

Between 1999 and now, factors that seem to have changed the political
landscape of Lagos include the population figure which has moved from
about nine million in 1999 to 18 million in 2015.

Lagos is considered to be a cosmopolitan city which consists of
several ethnic nationalities most of who now see Lagos as their home
and want their presence felt since they live and contribute their
quota to the development of the state.
--Vanguard