Civil servants relieved after ‘vindictive’ Ambode lost

Following governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s loss at the Lagos state governorship primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, some civil servants have said they were relieved he will not be getting another term.

The governor lost the party’s ticket to the former commissioner of commerce and industry Babajide Sanwo-Olu after polling 72, 901 while his contender polled 970,851 to emerge the party’s candidate going to the 2019 general elections.

Ambode, who conceded defeat on Wednesday afternoon, promised to work with members of the party to ensure victory for Sanwo-Olu in the governorship election scheduled to hold February 2019.

However, some reactions trailed his loss of the party ticket and a potential hold to his second term ambition as governor of Lagos state.

A civil servant who spoke anonymously to The Guardian accused the governor of being “vindictive” and a non-listening leader.

While counting some of the undoings of the governor, he said all is not expected to be well with a politically elected officer of a government who has sacked 39 permanent secretaries since elected in 2015 for no good reasons.

The source also alleged that Ambode has slow down the government machinery of the state, as mandatory annual projects were being rescheduled and sometimes annulled for no substantive reason.

“Sometimes activities meant for June can be slowed down and rescheduled for October,” the civil servant said.

“Nobody talks to him, because he is never willing to listen. Even to those around him because he is vindictive and none of his officials can tell him.”

Another civil servant in the education sector said there had been little or no development in education and welfare for staff since he became governor.

“We have hope, someone else is coming in. Some are pitying him and the others are doing him

ntoor,” the source said.

Several others who spoke to The Guardian insisted that they were happy Ambode lost.

“A  lot of us are happy,” one person said, before adding that “But a lot of people will be cautious to express their happiness about his loss.”