Saturday’s Governorship and House of Assembly no doubt will spring up surprises and upsets just like what was witnessed during the Presidential and National Assembly when top contenders lost out in the contest.

In Lagos State, the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu is desperately fighting to retain his seat after the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was defeated in Lagos by Peter Obi’s Labour Party. This has sent a wrong signal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of Saturday’s governorship poll.

For the House of Assembly poll, the race for Surulere constituency (One) in Lagos State House of Assembly is a political battle to watch. Call it a battle of actors or ‘Obidients’ test of popularity and you might not be wrong, but something is certain, when voters in Surulere Constituency file out to choose their representative for Lagos State House of Assembly, Veteran actor Desmond Elliot and his junior colleague Olumide Oworu, would be on the frontlines.

OLUMIDE OWORU

Oworu, a Nigerian actor, model and rapper, was born December 11, 1994. He attended King’s College, Lagos. He graduated from Babcock University in June 2017. Oworu commenced his acting career at the age of six with the television series Everyday People. He is also known for his role of Tari in the Africa Magic Series The Johnsons. He also starred in other television series such as The Patriot, The Men In Her Life, Hammer, Stolen Waters, and New Son. He portrayed the character ‘Weki’ in MTV Base’s Shuga series, seasons 3 and 4.

Oworu has won several awards including the “Mr. Popularity” prize in the Model of Africa 2012 contest, the Nollywood Revelation of The Year award at the Scream Awards 2014, and The Most Promising Youth Actor award at Ping Awards 2014. He won the Most Promising actor in the 2015 Best of Nollywood Awards and Best Supporting actor for his role in the Soldier’s Story in the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.

POLITICS

The young actor recently followed the footstep of his senior colleagues as he unveiled his political ambition having secured the ticket of the Labour Party (LP) to contest for a seat in the Lagos House of Assembly. The 28-year-old mass communication graduate is vying for Surulere Constituency 1 seat, a position occupied for the last eight years by Elliot.

Elliot of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been a member of the state House of Assembly since 2015. He defeated Bayo Smith, candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to clinch the seat.

While unveiling his campaign poster, Oworu, popularly known as Tari in Johnson Series, wrote account, “It is with a sense of honour and duty that I announce my candidacy for membership of The Lagos State House of Assembly – Surulere Constituency 1 on the platform of The Labour Party.

“The youth of this generation in Nigeria are more politically aware than ever and are now striving to have our voices heard and take part in the government process of this great country. As someone with a passion for youth development, it is on this note that I tender myself in service to play my part in the actualization of an all-inclusive government, where the young Nigerian intellectuals have a chance to make a change by being a part of the move for the creation of a new Nigeria. Thank you for your support. A new Nigeria is Possible”.

Oworu also shared his thoughts on what he expects from life with his new ambition.

Friends turned foes?

In a post via Instagram earlier this week, he said, “50 years from now, I will look back at this period and be proud of myself.”

HIS CHANCES AT THE POLL

Oworu is a green horn politically, but he is riding on the sweeping and growing acceptability of Obi’s Labour Party in Nigeria’s political space especially in Lagos State. Through his ‘Obidients’ movement, Obi apart from winning Lagos State, he had influenced the emergence of many Senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect, many of whom were relatively unknown before the February 25 election.

In Eti-Osa Federal constituency of Lagos, the Labour Party’s Thaddeus Attah defeated Singer Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, who contested on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Babajide, son of Musiliu Obanikoro, a former minister of state for defence, who currently represents the constituency at the green chamber.

Commenting on the shocking victory of the Labour Party candidate who pulled a major upset in an APC stronghold, a resident of Eti Osa said he did not even set his eyes on the campaign poster of Attah before election, meanwhile posters of his opponents were all over.

Oworu has become a major threat to Elliot’s third term bid in the Lagos Assembly. Also, Elliot has fallen out of favour from many youths due to some comments he made during the #EndSARS protest in 2020.

He has been consistently dragged on social media after referring to Nigerian youths who reacted to the shootings at the Lekki Tollgate as children. He had pushed for the regulation of social media after the protest.

However, in a swift response, Elliot had in October 2020 issued a statement in which he apologised to those whose toes he stepped on with his comments. The apology, perhaps, has not been “accepted” as many youths have resumed hostility against the lawmaker ahead of the Saturday’s election.

Recently the lawmaker during his interview on TVC’s ‘Your View’, offered clarity on the matter, insisting he wasn’t referring to all youths on social media as children but those who were cursing Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru.

“What I can say is, I think forgiveness is divine. I mean, no one owns it all. Something can be your truth, and to another person, it might not be. I do not think going back to bring out those sensitive moments would do anything.

“I think at the end of the day, I apologised, and I’m still apologising to those who must have misconstrued what I said. I said I was taken by emotions, but in the end, it still didn’t take away from the fact that the hatred was too much. The polity, the hatred is too much. We are all built on love. We can change things through love.”

Will Oworu retire Elliot from the Lagos House of Assembly? The constituents decide on Saturday. (Daily Trust)

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