Posted by By Kunle Awosiyan on
The slain former Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial aspirant in Lagos State, Chief Funsho Williams, would have contested.....
The slain former Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial aspirant in Lagos State, Chief Funsho Williams, would have contested and lost in four elections in his attempts to be the state governor.
In spite of his losses, he had always comported himself lawfully and had the confidence that he would once become the state governor. But his dream was shattered on Thursday as he was murdered.
He was a gubernatorial aspirant under the United Nigeria Congress Party in 1998 during the regime of the late Gen. Sanni Abacha.
He later crossed to the Alliance for Democracy but lost the party's primaries to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Though, Williams described the primary election as a charade at the time, he appealed to his supporters to be law abiding and go about their lawful businesses. He told his supporters that he believed the party would ensure that democracy prevailed.
He said, 'In spite of the irregularities noted in the primaries, I have absolute confidence in my party that it will ensure that democracy prevails."
The former Lagos State Commissnioner of works protested the results of the primary election but the intervention of the former AD/APP presidential aspirant, Chief Olu Falae, saved the situation. 'Falae made me to accept Tinubu's candidacy," Williams added.
Both Williams and Tinubu later attended a meeting organised by the leaders of the party at the Victoria Island home of Falae where Williams accepted Tinubu as the AD gubernatorial candidate. After the meeting, both of them took group photographs.
In his speech, Williams said, 'I want to say this is the end of politics of bitterness in the country and Lagos State in particular. I wholeheartedly endorse Tinubu's ticket and I'm going to work with the last blood in me to make it a success."
However, his political ideology changed in 2001 when he defected to the PDP.
His argument then was that the AD did not appreciate his contribution to the party.
'This is not to say that the party is filled with ingrates alone. There are good people in there but we cannot remain in the party for their sake," he said.
While defecting to the PDP, Williams reiterated that his group should not be seen as a bunch of opportunists or politicians with bitterness. He noted that his gubernatorial ambition was not a do-or-die affair.
'Whatever one gets at a particular time is what God apportions to him at that point in time and one should take it," he said.