Sanwo-Olu noted that he’ll not take the party’s trust for granted and run an inclusive government if elected governor. Former Lagos Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has thanked Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, for putting up a good fight in the race to win the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).Sanwo-Olu beat the incumbent in the APC’s Lagos State governorship primary election that was conducted at all wards in all 20 local government areas of the state on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.In Tuesday’s election, Sanwo-Olu polled 970,851 votes, hundreds of thousands of votes more than Ambode’s 72,901 votes.While speaking on his victory on Tuesday, Sanwo-Olu wished the governor the best for the remainder of his tenure ahead of the 2019 election to elect a new governor.”I think it’s also important to thank the executive governor of Lagos state, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for a good fight. I wish him the best in the remainder of his tenure,” he said.In his acceptance speech, Sanwo-Olu praised the APC’s national leader, Bola Tinubu, for his fatherly role in his emergence as the party’s flag bearer. He also thanked the entire structure of the party that endorsed him over Ambode and ensured his victory on Tuesday.He said, “I think it’s appropriate I thank our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has provided the platform for all of us, so many of us that have looked up to him, the fatherly role, a political landscape that one cannot take for granted.”I want to also use this opportunity to thank the national chairman of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, His Excellency Adams Oshiomhole and the national working committee for giving us tremendous support, for encouraging us and for letting true democracy reflect, for sustaining this direct primary and for letting it be the true test of what it should be.”In Lagos state, I think it is appropriate to thank the entire leadership of our party from the GAC, our numerous fathers, our uncles who have held on to this journey, who has demonstrated leadership to the highest level, who have demonstrated impeccable integrity at all levels, I think I owe them deep level of appreciation, I thank you.”I want to thank the entire structure that we have in APC, from our national assembly members, distinguished senators from Lagos state, members of the house of representative, especially the majority leader and his entire team, the speaker and members of the Lagos state house of assembly. “I want to thank all the 57 chairmen and all our 57 local government areas. I want to thank all our ward chairmen, our councillors.”Sanwo-Olu noted that he’ll not take the party’s trust for granted and run an inclusive government if elected governor next year.He said, “Lagosians, I think with what you have done for me, I cannot take you for granted, I cannot take this mandate and this confidence for granted, I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life but more importantly, like I’ve always said, I’ll remain committed, I’ll keep an inclusive government, I’ll be responsible, integrity will not run far from me and I will not do things that in any form would make you to begin to doubt my capacity or capability.”Ambode concedes defeat, congratulates Sanwo-OluGovernor Ambode conceded defeat during a press conference on Wednesday, October 3, and congratulated Sanwo-Olu over his victory.He said, “Dear Lagosians, APC is a great party and the interests of our beloved State must always supercede that of any person or group. “It is in this regard that I wholeheartedly congratulate the winner of the Lagos State APC primaries, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and urge all Lagosians to immediately support our party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 elections and work for the success of the party.”The governor further noted that he is committed to working towards a smooth transition for the next governor of the state and beckoned on all party members to ensure the party is successful at the polls in 2019.Controversy over primary electionThe APC’s national working committee (NWC) panel in charge of the election officially confirmed Sanwo-Olu’s victory earlier on Wednesday, a day after it distanced itself from it.In controversial fashion, the committee had previously cancelled the election on Tuesday, noting that it had not been in charge of its conduct and supervision as it should.”We want a victory that will be credible, and will be in line with the guidelines and rules,” Ebri said on Tuesday evening.With confusion over the state of the election late on Tuesday, the Lagos State APC chairman, Tunde Balogun, announced the result of the election that the NWC already dissociated itself from.Balogun announced, “I am aware that conflicting information has been circulating on our primary election, but I must tell you that the election was held and it was free and fair.”It would be very painful to disenfranchise the over 1.5 million members who voted across the 245 wards in the state.”After a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari late on Tuesday, APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, dismissed the panel’s cancellation of the election and directed the panel to make Sanwo-Olu’s victory official.”The election has been held, anyone who is aggrieved should complain after the declaration of results,” he said.On Wednesday morning, the committee chairman, Clement Ebri, affirmed Sanwo-Olu’s victory.”After resolving some of the hiccups, the Lagos State APC Governorship Primary Committee collated the results from the 245 wards in the 20 local government areas from the collating officers.”At the end of the exercise, these are the votes scored by the aspirants: 1. Gov Akinwunmi Ambode, 72,901 votes. 2. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, 970,851 votes.”Following these results, I, Clement Ebri, the Chairman of the Lagos State APC Governorship Primary Committee hereby declare Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the winner,” he announced.Sanwo-Olu vs AmbodeAmbode’s monumental loss to Sanwo-Olu in Tuesday’s election doesn’t come as a surprise as he lost the backing of the entire party structure over the past three weeks leading to the election.Sanwo-Olu recently shot to prominence after it emerged that he had been endorsed to become the next Lagos governor by Tinubu, a former Lagos governor and political godfather in the state who also handpicked Ambode just four years ago.The relationship between Ambode and Tinubu reportedly soured over how he distanced himself from the party’s ideals and the people that ensured his emergence as governor.Tinubu’s political structure in Lagos, Mandate Movement, as well as all 57 local councils in the state endorsed Sanwoolu ahead of the governorship primary election.All efforts made by Ambode to get back in Tinubu’s good graces including a last-minute intervention by President Buhari proved abortive as it was clear there was no turning back.To make matters worse, Ambode spoke at a world press conference on Sunday, September 30, 2018, alleging that Sanwo-Olu was unfit for office because he’d allegedly been previously arrested for forgery in the United States. He also alleged that he had been to a hospital in Lagos for rehabilitation for an unspecified problem.Ambode deviated from master plan – TinubuIn his first public endorsement of Sanwo-Olu, Tinubu said Ambode’s government has deviated from a master plan put together by a corps of dedicated and patriotic Lagosians for economic development that would improve the lives of people in the state.He said Lagosians have suffered from the painful consequence of the improper departure by the current government and have reacted by prompting him as the leader to seek a new alternative.Tinubu promised that Sanwo-Olu understands the importance of the blueprint and can be relied on for the future development of the state.