Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, is plotting to sneak back into the Chambers come 2015, qed.ng has learnt.
The third term lawmaker contested and lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election held on December 4. He came fourth in the exercise won by Akinwunmi Ambode who was handpicked by former governor of the state, Bola Tinubu.
Having lost in his bid to fly his party’s flag in the 2015 governorship election the 56-year-old Epe-born politician has now turned his eyes back to the legislature.
Primaries to elect APC’s candidates for the House of Assembly were held across the state on December 2 and flag bearers have emerged for all the constituencies.
A source within APC however told qed.ng that the Speaker is appealing to leaders of the party to withdraw one of its tickets from a candidate and hand it over to him like Governor Rochas Okorocha did in Imo State after losing at the presidential primary.
“Unfortunately for the Speaker, the ticket for Ikeja 01 Constituency which he currently represents was won by Folajimi Mohammed, son of our National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, and there is no way anybody can collect it from him,” the highly placed source in the party told this newspaper.
The second option, we were told, is the ticket for Ikeja 02 won by Damola Kasumu, a nephew to Tinubu and grandson of the late Iyaloja General, Abibat Mogaji.
Kasumu too is not willing to let go of his mandate.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Musibau Kolawole, is also not keen to have Ikuforiji back in the Assembly.
A fourth time lawmaker, Kolawole, representing Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Constituency 01, hopes to become speaker if he is re-elected in 2015.
The 53-year-old’s chances will be greatly diminished if Ikuforiji returns, given his influence in the Assembly and his financial power.
Ikuforiji, who on Sunday told newsmen that “in all of my years in politics and in managing the affairs of the assembly, I have always believed in party supremacy and in protecting the interest of the people,” qed.ng learned, may be offered the post of Secretary to the State Government (SSG) if all else fails.
