Honourable Lanre Ogunyemi, is a two-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, former Lagos State Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and ex-Lagos State Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In this exclusive interview with the crew of thegazellenews.com, Ogunyemi speaks on his determination to contribute meaningfully and positively to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and why he resigned as the Director of Administration for Grassroots Movement for Tinubu (GMT), a group set up to mobilise grassroots support for the re-election of the President.
Q: Since you left the House of Assembly, what have you been doing politically?
A: Thank you very much. I have been actively involved in the politics of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
After I left the House of Assembly in 2019, a lot has happened politically for me. I have served as the Secretary of the party in the state.
I contested as APC candidate to represent Ojo Federal Constituency in the last general election. And I have been actively involved in politics of the state, serving the party at various levels.
I am an active member of The Mandate Movement (TMM), a strong cleavage within the APC to which I am a founding member. We started it in 1998/99 as Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organization (BATCO) and I was the Principal Coordinator for Ojo Local Government. There were 20 Local Government Councils then.
Other prominent Principal Coordinators then that are still here are: Cardinal Odunmbaku, Ikeja; Kola Peregrino, Eti-Osa; Princess Bola Kazeem, Kosofe; Prince Bisi Yusuf, Alimosho; Pa Akinsanya, Epe; and Pa Eyinfunjowo, Amuwo-Odofin.
For me, it has not been a dull moment at all and I have shown commitment to matters affecting the party.
Q: You are also part of the Grassroots Mobilisation for Tinubu (GMT)….
A: Yes, I was appointed the Director of Administration for GMT….
Q: Was?
A: Yes, I was the Director of Administration for the GMT, in fact I supervised the team that birthed the successful synergy seminar for the directors of the organization at the Providence Hotel in Ikeja.
However, I have resigned from my position as the Director of Administration for GMT.
Q: Why did you resign? It looks somehow after you have coordinated the seminar and ensured its success, and you suddenly resigned unceremoniously like that. Do you have any issues with the leadership of the group?
A: No, I have no dispute or issue with the leadership or any member. I just want things to be done rightly and thoroughly while also ensuring the nurturing of a big whole rather than a divided fraction.
Let me tell you this, my ultimate goal and aspiration for now is to contribute meaningfully and positively to the re-election of our great leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of Nigeria.
This is sacrosanct and cannot and should not be negotiated.
All hands must be on the deck for this purpose. Regarding this, we should harmonize our thoughts and efforts.
We must build a very strong, resourceful, resilient and well coordinated team of individuals who can drive an independent body to complement the efforts of our party to attain electoral success, especially in Lagos where I opine we need to work harder and together. We need a very thorough reinvigoration and rejuvenation of our political architecture and infrastructure.
Therefore, I have made up my mind to do everything and anything humanly possible, within the purview of the law, to ensure that Asiwaju is re-elected, this is my main political project for now and I will always move with the team that I believe strongly share the same goal with me.
We must all work hard to make Asiwaju proud in Lagos in 2027. I’m not afraid of other states of the federation.
Don’t get me wrong, GMT is rooting and working assiduously for Asiwaju’s re-election too.
However, I resigned to join another platform ASIWAJU 2027, championed by TMM. I believe that this platform possesses better structure, and wider reach to propagate the Tinubu for second term agenda, particularly that it has existed for over 25 years and has been a key player in the election of Lagos State Governors since Asiwaju’s era till date. The platform has been christened ‘political foot soldiers’.
I also believe that I can utilise my abilities and technical skills well via the Asiwaju 2027 platform. This is the major reason I resigned from GMT.
Q: Was there no ill-feeling from the GMT platform due to your unceremonious resignation?
A: No ill-feeling at all. I enjoyed my brief stay at GMT. I had an excellent working relationship with all the directors. The DG is my personal friend. We have been together for a long time and we remain friends.
We have the same goal, which is mobilising massively for the re-election of our leader and other candidates of our great party. The platforms may be different but the goal is the same. So, I don’t believe there is any feeling of animosity.
Q: Personally, as we move towards the 2027 general election, what is your personal political aspiration?
A: Presently, my personal political aspiration is the re-election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That remains my major priority.
