Punished for supporting Fashola in 2011, Mamora gets ambassadorial nomination

President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated former Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Olorunnimbe Mamora, as ambassador along with 45 others.

Senate President Bukola Saraki made the announcement on the Senate Floor on Thursday.

Mamora’s nomination comes five years after he was prevented from returning to the Senate for a third term on the ticket of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The 63-year-old lost the Lagos East Senatorial seat to Gbenga Ashafa as punishment for supporting former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, who had a cold war with his predecessor, Bola Tinubu, over the control of the mega city.

They were all members of the ACN which later merged with others to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Regarded as one of the most experienced and influential members of the Senate, Mamora’s loss in 2011 was greeted with outrage by those outside the Tinubu caucus.

Mamora and Fashola are now believed to belong to the APC faction loyal to National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.

The former Lagos Speaker was recently appointed into 49-man team to execute the APC governorship campaign in Ondo State in favour of Rotimi Akeredolu.

Tinubu’s candidate for the Ondo election, Olusegun Abraham, lost out to Akeredolu, a situation for which the Lagos strongman wants Odigie-Oyegun sacked as APC chairman.