EXCLUSIVE: Real Reasons Iyaloja General Tinubu-Ojo Wants Lagos' Powerful Justice Forum & Mandate Movement Scrapped (Politics)

 Iyaloja General of Lagos, Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo (Image courtesy, Google)

 She is very displeased. The mood of the Iyaloja General of Lagos, Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojomood stems from the fact that some aspirants for the House of Representatives in the state's ruling All Progressives' Congress (APC) political party lost out in the recent concluded primaries. She is chagrined that their losses sre not because they reportedly did not win in the polls, but because of another reason.

To her, it was due to the overwhelming influence of two political groups with tentacles over Lagos' political space - Justice Forum and Mandate Movement groups - that caused their losses.  She said these groups used their influence to transpose these aspirants names with their preferred members, effectively cancelling these other political actors who as she said, won the primaries. 

These are Seye Oladejo, Lagos APC's spokesperson who contested in Mushin constituency II, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo in Agege Constituency II and Olotu Emmanuel Ojo in Ojokoro. 

The Iyaloja General is furious at this development and is demands the cancellation of both political groups for what she calls their undemocratic and high handed manner of interfering with the people's mandate. 

She fumes that even if the Justice Forum produces the governorship candidate of the party, it is preposterous that the group should start exerting undue influence in the state's politics.

Justice Forum has as its Chairman, Abdullahi Enilolobo, and GAC member Chief Muraino Taiwo. Historically, the bloc was pioneered by former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the late Senator Adebayo Osinowo, a.k.a. Pepperito. 

The other faction, the Justice Forum has Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke of the Federal House of Representatives serving as the State Coordinator. The forum also boasts of other veterans including Prince Tajudeen Olusi (Leader), Otunba Busura Alebiosu (Chairman), and Prince Rabiu Oluwa (Deputy Chairman).

Both groups pride themselves as the major grassroots power bloc that influences candidate selections, internal party power sharing, and campaigns across various local governments in Lagos.

They hold significant sway, and are particularly, fierce rivals over candidate endorsements, appointments, and party tickets. 

Recent tensions between both groups concerns the emergence of the Federal Rep's candidate in Oshodi/Isolo federal constituency, olus recent claims and counter claims by other rival aspirants following the Justice Forum 's endorsement of Dep. Give. Obafemi Hamzat as the party's guber flag bearer before it was settled at the guber primary. 

However, in recent years, a new potent group is emerging and flexing its muscles on the state's political scene. This is the coded group headed by Tinubu-Ojo herself. The Iyaloja General has been covertly endorsing and supporting aspirants and candidates for political office holders within Lagos and now, at the federal level. 

The three aspirants who she said won the primaries overwhelmingly but were robbed by the two groups reportedly belongs to her camp.

"There's an unwritten code which she expects these other two groups to respect, which is, anytime she fields or endorses politicians for an office, the two other dominant political groups should respect her decision ," a source who is intimate with the situation but does not wish to be identified exclusively told Mega Mode Media.

The source also says she feels these groups already have the majority stake in the affairs of the state so, should ideally have no issues with the few she brings forward given her pedigree as the leader of the biggest key political electorate -market traders - and, her prior service to both groups prior plus of course, the fact that she's the daughter and now, eldest child, of President Bola Tinubu.

But, it seems the two groups are not having it. "There is a general disinclination in the two groups not to allow her ascendancy in emerging as a formidable political group to rival them. With her father, her brother Seyi and now Iyaloja, the two groups fear her appearance as a political force in Lagos would stifle their reach in time," the source further said.

Iyaloja, as Tinubu-Ojo is popularly called, is not giving in. She is all out for open war and confrontation. This is why she called a press conference that the two groups should be disbanded or scrapped. The battle is for control over Lagos' political patronage and if course, wealth. These endorsements do not come free. 

It is de@d on arrival for her budding political group to be associated with uncertainty and failure. The catch for her to get political office holders (and more wealth)  to start thronging her is if membership or endorsement by her caucus guarantees automatic tickets in election primaries and success in general elections.

Iyaloja does not want this political suicide. This is why is fighting. 

Till now, both the Mandate Movement and Justice Forum are yet to issue any public response to this demand as at filing this newspaper report. But, already, the press conference has discomfited the two groups and internal happenings are ongoing.

The coming days will reveal how this pans out.