It is often said that a leopard cannot change its spots. This was exactly what came to mind as one read through the above unfortunate piece. Considering what happened to him while he was in office, one would have thought that the former Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, would have learnt his lessons, become humble, and be a good party man.
Unfortunately, from the tirade that one of his insensitive disciples wrote, it is quite palpable that the former governor is still his arrogant, pompous, and haughty self. How can someone who requires redemption throw caution to the wind by throwing such weighty tantrums at elders who toil day and night to build the same party where he hopes to run for governor again? An irredeemable spirit of “aluta”?
Whoever advised Ambode to go that perilous route is definitely out to destroy him again. It is such an ill-advised move, especially now when all hands ought to be on deck to ensure the party is better-positioned and united in Lagos State for total victory in President Bola Tinubu’s second term.
SELECTIVE OUTRAGE
The article’s central claim—that former Governor Ambode “deserves a second chance”—rests more on emotional persuasion than on political logic. It frames his fall as an injustice and his return as a moral necessity. But Lagos politics has never operated on moral restitution; it operates on power retention, loyalty, and systemic continuity.
To argue for a second chance without interrogating the conditions that led to his political downfall is to ignore the system’s structural reality. In Lagos, political actors are not independent agents rising on merit alone—they are products of a carefully managed hierarchy. Entry, survival, and advancement are mediated by networks of influence where loyalty is rewarded, and dissent is punished.
The article attempts to cast the individual as a victim of this system, but that framing is incomplete. He was not an outsider crushed by the system; he was a beneficiary of it. His rise was enabled by the same machinery now being criticized. Therefore, calling for a “second chance” without addressing this contradiction amounts to selective outrage.
More importantly, the idea of a second chance assumes that something fundamentally new would emerge from his return. But what evidence is presented that he has evolved beyond the constraints that previously defined him? Has he demonstrated political sagacity? Has he articulated a new governance philosophy?
Democracy is not strengthened by repeatedly reintroducing familiar actors into unchanged systems. It is strengthened by institutional reform and accountability, not by emotional appeals for individual reinstatement. Until the conversation shifts from personalities to structures, the idea of a “second chance” will remain a political illusion.
One of the most striking weaknesses of the article is its tendency to shift blame almost entirely onto the system while downplaying the role of the individual at the center of the narrative.
Yes, politics in our climate can be heavily structured. Yes, godfatherism could be real. But within that system, not all actors meet the same fate. Some navigate it successfully; others collapse under its pressures. The difference often lies not just in external forces, but in strategic decisions made by the actors themselves.
INJUSTICE AS AN ESCAPE ROUTE
The article presents Mr. Ambode as though he were an unfortunate casualty—someone who simply fell victim to overwhelming structural forces. But this interpretation ignores critical questions: Did he manage his alliances effectively? Did he understand the limits of his autonomy within the system? Did he build independent political capital or rely excessively on inherited legitimacy? Did he demonstrate character – in the true spirit of an “omoluabi”?
By portraying Mr. Ambode primarily as a victim, the article inadvertently removes the element of accountability. It suggests that his downfall was inevitable, rather than partly the result of miscalculations, overreach, or strategic errors.
Political actors are both shaped by and responsible within their environments. Mr. Ambode’s story, therefore, should not be simplified into a narrative of injustice. It should also be examined as a case study in the consequences of mismanaging power within a tightly controlled political ecosystem.
A genuine second chance, if it is to be meaningful, must be grounded in acknowledged mistakes and demonstrated growth—not just sympathy and emotional blackmail.
IS LAGOS A REHABILITATION CENTRE?
This emotional “he deserves a second chance” narrative is not just weak; it’s dangerous. It tries to guilt the public into ignoring performance, discipline, character, and political reality. Lagos is a high-stakes state. You don’t get multiple retries at the top because people feel sorry for you.
And while the article bends over backwards to humanize one man’s political misfortune, it conveniently ignores something critical: Dr. Obafemi Hamzat didn’t get here by luck, pity, or sentiment. He got here by consistency, competence, and alignment with a working system.
That’s the difference.
You don’t reward instability with “second chances” while sidelining people who have actually demonstrated capacity. Governance is not about who tells the most sympathetic story—it’s about who can deliver results without constant political drama.
If every political fallout becomes a justification for a comeback, then standards collapse. And once standards collapse, governance follows. And, Lagos cannot afford that.
HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY
By trying to denigrate the party elders through the “Baba Sope trap”, the Ambode camp is only trying to be clever by half. In doing this, it exhibits unbridled hypocrisy and deception. When Mr. Ambode became the Governor of Lagos State in 2015, how did he emerge? Was he an active member of the party? He was a public servant who had just resigned from public service. He was heavily favoured by the same system he so brazenly disparaged. That, in my view, is the height of hypocrisy.
Nobody gets to the top in politics by accident. If you benefited from the system on your way up, you don’t suddenly get to play victim when that same system demands discipline and strong character on the way down. We need to call it what it is: he didn’t get trapped—he got outplayed.
Meanwhile, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat has managed to operate within the same environment without imploding their political capital. That’s not a coincidence—that’s competence. That’s character. That’s ‘Omolaubi’ ethos. Bibire o se fowora! No alternative to good upbringing!
NOT FOR THE NAÏVE
Politics, in general, is not for the naive. It requires strategic patience, alliance management, a clear understanding of power boundaries, and the ability to manage one’s inherent weaknesses. Mr. Ambode never faced as many personal battles as the current governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Yet, the latter is still able to hold himself strong. He has been a rare study in ‘Omoluabi’s’ ethos. Despite the several hurdles that he has had to face, he has been able to manage the situation without threatening to pull down the system that made him. Now, that is the true meaning of leadership and maturity.
If you misread the room, overestimate your independence, and alienate your base, the consequences are predictable. That’s not injustice—that’s politics. So no, this is not some tragic story of a good man crushed by a bad system. It’s a case study in what happens when you display crude naivety in a system you once relied on.
FALEKE AS A SCAPEGOAT
Hon. James Faleke is a prominent APC leader in Lagos State. He is a strategic grassroots politician. As a very successful chairman of Ojodu Local Government, he is among the respected leaders of the party in the State. Since 2011, he has been a ranking member of the Green Chamber. This, no doubt, speaks volumes about his political antecedents. You do not get to be in the National Assembly four straight times by being a political neophyte.
Now, that is the man that Mr. Ambode and his camp are trying to vilify. This is the man who twice coordinated the Buhari presidential campaign in Lagos State. He also coordinated the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed presidential campaign in Lagos State. He is a veteran. This is the man the Ambode guys are trying to scorn.
What is really their grouse against Faleke? Well, the astute politician has directed his followers to support the candidacy of Dr. Obafemi Hamzat in the coming Lagos APC Gubernatorial primaries. That, of course, is his offence. But then, the question is, will Ambode and his attack dogs go all out against Faleke, if his stance has favoured them? Again, that is sheer hypocrisy and lack of political tolerance, which, of course, is Mr. Ambode’s trademark. Can such a man be trusted with power again? Definitely, not in Lagos.
BETWEEN HAMZAT AND AMBODE
It is quite laughable that the writer of the unfortunate piece tried unsuccessfully to compare Dr. Obafemi Hamzat with Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. Just imagine their pedestrian argument; by being a deputy governor, Dr. Hamzat lacks the experience of Ambode. Like seriously?
While Mr. Ambode was a public servant, Dr. Hamzat was a member of the Lagos State Government Executive Council. He was a prominent member of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu cabinet, where, as the then Commissioner for Science & Technology, he was responsible for the introduction of the Oracle system into the state’s financial procedures. The result of that has been great – in terms of revenue.
He was also the Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure under Mr. Babatunde Fashola’s Administration when some of the legacy road projects were completed. These include the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge, the Wempco Road, Ogba, the Ijesha-Lawanson link bridge, and the Igando-LASU road, just to mention a few.
From 2019 to date, the same man has been the deputy governor. Anyone who says a man with such a rich political leadership pedigree lacks the experience to lead Lagos is merely blabbing. Indeed, in the history of the state, no one has ever been better-prepared to lead Lagos like Dr. Hamzat.
On the contrary, one of the reasons why Mr. Ambode failed the leadership test as a governor is his limited political leadership experience. Before he became governor, he was a Permanent Secretary in the state’s Treasury Office with limited experience in political governance.
LAGOS CIVIL SERVANTS ANGLE
As a former civil servant, many Lagos civil servants had high hopes that Mr Ambode would improve the system and inspire them to work better. However, the reverse was the case. His tenure was ironically marked with unbridled victimization of civil servants, termination of the appointment of many hardworking Permanent Secretaries, and unusually slow bureaucracy.
He became so power drunk that he was labelled “The Emperor”. He fired 19 permanent secretaries in one day – for no just reason. His work ethic was questionable, as critical memos that were sent to him for approval always got returned unattended to at the end of the year, thus slowing down the wheel of governance. In Alausa, Ikeja, there is a well-known fable about the work rate of Dr. Hamzat.
Staff of the Deputy Governor’s Office will readily tell anyone that cares to listen that files don’t stay more than three days on his desk. They said if he travels outside the state and comes back in the dead of the night, he will still go straight to the office to treat files. That is a man that Lagos needs to consolidate past gains.
HUMILITY VS HAUGHTINESS
Unlike Dr. Hamzat, Mr. Ambode is renowned for his violent temper. In the height of anger, Mr Ambode vituperates like a rattled snake, ready to pounce on anyone or anything in sight. His private staff were always on the edge, fasting and praying often to avert the rage of the self-acclaimed emperor.
In the height of his political arrogance, he abandoned the famed “Lagos Development Plan”, prepared by the builder of modern Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and replaced it with a haphazard system. He was even alleged to have badmouthed his greatest political benefactor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Not Dr Hamzat. He is a very calm, cool, and modest character. Nothing ever makes him lose his cool. He is a consistent team player and a loyal man. As deputy governor, he remains ever loyal to his principal, supporting the ‘Greater Lagos’ vision.
INDIGENESHIP QUESTION
Dr. Hamzat has been involved in governance since the era of former Governor Bola Tinubu. Suddenly, the desperate people are crying that he is not an indigene of Lagos State. The question, however, is where is Mr. Ambode from? That is a conversation that we would like to have in the coming days.
As for Dr. Hamzat, his mother is from the Egbe family in Isale-Eko, Lagos Island. That is strong enough for him to use in claiming his Lagos roots.
RELIGION BALANCE
Being a mixed religious and cultural hub, Lagos cannot afford to get it wrong religiously. Though one is not really an advocate of mixing religion with politics, the reality is what we cannot wish away. In the last 14 years, Lagos has been ruled by Christian governors (Mr. Ambode, 2015-2019, and Mr. Sanwo-Olu-2019 to date). It will, therefore, be unfair for another Christian to be in the saddle, except the apostles of ‘injustice’ want to be guilty of injustice ‘ themselves.
FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER!
The article’s biggest flaw is that it looks backward when Lagos needs to move forward. This obsession with giving one man a “second chance” is just nostalgia dressed up as justice. It assumes that recycling old political actors is somehow progress. It isn’t.
Lagos works today because there is continuity, structure, and disciplined leadership. Disrupting that balance for the sake of sentiment is reckless.
Again, look at Dr. Obafemi Hamzat—a figure who represents stability within the system, not constant friction with it. Leadership is not about fighting the structure at every turn; it’s about working effectively within it to deliver outcomes.
What the article is really asking for is this: Replace stability with experimentation, and hope it works out. That’s not a serious proposition.
.Sanni, a former public servant, writes from Isale-Eko
BABA SOPE TRAP: LAGOS, GOD FATHER’S POLITICS AND THE MAN WHO DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE By Wahab Sanni
