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, 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 criticised. 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 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 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. 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 humanise 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 naive
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. Ambode never faced as many personal battles as the current Governor of Lagos State, 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 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: Would Ambode and his attack dogs go all out against Honourable Faleke, if his stance has favoured them?
Again, that is sheer hypocrisy and lack of political tolerance, which, of course, is Ambode’s trademark. Can such a man be trusted with power again? Definitely, not in Lagos.
