He goes by the nick-name, Pepperito, Hon Bayo Osinowo, a fourth term ranked lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly has lived up to his alias. Osinowo, is highly influential both at the Lagos Assembly and his Kosofe constituency and by extension, Lagos East Senatorial district.
When Osinowo declared for Lagos East Senatorial, it was considered a done deal on the account of his wide political network, clout and closeness to the former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Infact, Osinowo is described as the defacto speaker of the Lagos Assembly. He calls the shots and always had his way. It was gathered that the lawmaker has been the House Chairman Committee on Lands since 2003 when he was elected into the Assembly.
Osinowo flaunts his wealth and shows the world that he is a man of enormous means. He maintains an opulence lifestyle. He cruises Bentley as a State Lawmaker.
Sentator Gbenga Ashafa, a former Permanent Secretary in Lands Ministry and the incumbent Senator representing Lagos East in the Senate in Lagos is also said to be extremely wealthy but can’t match Osinowo political clout in the district.
Osinowo eclipsed the incumbent, Ashafa in the last two months through awareness and intense mobilization of the party members for his aspiration. But, alas, the Adams Oshiomhole led-National Working Committee saved Ashafa from the rampaging mob of Osinowo who were ready to sweep him out of office.
The APC leadership had only cleared the three incumbent senators namely, Solomon Olamilekan(Lagos West), Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) and Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) as the party flagbearers for the 2019 general election.
Before the information became public, Osinowo was said to have won the Lagos East Senatorial district shadow election by a landslide. Infact, the lawmaker also issued an appreciation message to the APC members in the district.
What would the next move of the Maverick ‘Pepper’? Would Osinowo be benched for the next years? These are questions agitating stakeholders’ minds.
