By Gbolahan Dimeji

As  Governor   Raji   Fashola   takes   his exit from power     it is necessary   to ask   him why   he was not able to allow the state electoral commission  to conduct   elections   into   the state local   governments   before leaving office .   In   January, the  governor swore   in 57   Executive   Secretaries   for 20   LGs   and   37   LCDAs instead   of holding elections   in the LG s   and   LCDAs   whose tenure expired   in   December 2014 .

That   was clearly   a  misuse   of power and authority.  An announcement in the media said he would launch his book   titled. The Example – The Era of Babatunde Raji   Fashola as the Governor   of Lagos State, and that  he would speak at the Public   Lecture Series of  the Institute of   Directors on the topic – My Stewardship – Eight Years of Delivering   Excellence, as   the guest speaker of the IoD.

The fact that the governor   has appointed Executive   Secretaries to head the local   governments in his state rather   than have elections as expected in a democratic   dispensation   puts   a stigma   on his claim to excellence in   terms   of service delivery   during his tenure and casts aspersion on any claim or   achievements   he may   want to celebrate   as a democratically   elected governor. This   is because, by simply not allowing the elections to take place at the local government level which is the grassroots of our democracy, he has done worse than even a   military   dictatorship. So   how can he claim   excellence at the point   of exit as a true democrat .?   Certainly   on the local   government elections, the governor is leaving office as a  dictator   rather   than a promoter and lover of democracy. That   is the truth and that is his legacy .

Some have said the fear     of   the APC     losing local government elections on the eve of the 2015 elections was the paralyzing factor . It was felt in his government that   it was becoming unpopular   and the loss   of the local government polls would be a death knell for   the   ruling   party in   the general   elections . But then   that was to be expected and the anti dote was to have   had   a good record of performance for eight   years   of two terms in  office .

Nothing   best   illustrates poor performance and deceit on the part of his administration than   the news that   after cajoling the Okada motorcyclists     to vote for his candidate at   the last election for governorship which   his party won, the   state   government asked the Okada   people not to ply routes which were opened   for them   during the campaigns for governorship   which the APC   has   now won .   Of   course   the state government’s hands   were forced by the successful strategy of Jimi   Agbaje of   the PDP who   rode   to a campaign   rally   on Okada, a feat   that drew tremendous   applause and   admiration   from the Lagos   electorate whose   sympathy was with the Okada people because of their functionality and convenience in   making     people       move     around the state in an affordable means of transport . Now   that the APC   has won, the government has gone back on its words   and the world is to be bleak   and painful for Okada riders and their   millions of Lagos commuters again . That   simply   means     the   people of the state have been taken for a ride by a government that wooed Okada riders only to disappoint them after securing their votes. That is certainly dishonest and is a misuse of a fresh election mandate   and is highly condemnable.

Whether the outgoing governor likes it or not, he is postponing the evil day for his party as Lagos is not a one party state as the 2015 elections have shown with the brilliant performance of Jimi Agbaje of the PDP at the guber election. Lagosians cannot wait long enough to get even with the APC  for the nagging electoral fear of the outgoing governor in not being democratic enough to organize LG and LCDAs election before his exit as demanded by the law. Definitely there is nothing excellent about such an undemocratic legacy.

• Dimeji, a public affairs commentator, is based in Lagos.