Despite Saturday’s denial by a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that he is not at war with the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), over the 2015 elections, Ashiwaju.org can authoritatively confirm that all is not well between the two men.
And this has mainly to do with the failure of Fashola to support Tinubu’s choice for the Lagos State governor’s seat in 2015, Akinwunmi Ambode.
It was learnt that it was only a few days before the governorship primaries of the APC, where Ambode emerged as the party’s candidate, that Fashola showed any form of support, especially financially, for Ambode’s ambition.
Highly placed sources within the APC revealed to Ashiwaju.org that Fashola had, when the news became public that the choice of Tinubu for the governorship was Ambode, told members of his caucus that he was going to work against his emergence.
This was more so when the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akinolu, made what many considered a public slip, by revealing at a public function that the decision had been finalised for Ambode to succeed Fashola.
The incumbent was said to have kicked against this position.
In fact, it was revealed that the first choice of Fashola for a successor was his Commissioner for Works, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.
Fashola was said to have been the major financier of Hamzat’s campaign.
A source said he gave “a huge sum to Hamzat”.
The source added: “It is the kind of money you give someone and you have to back it up with escorts for safety.”
As a Plan B, Fashola was also said to have propped up his Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General during the first four years in office between 2007 and 2011, Olasupo Sasore (SAN).
A source said Fashola, despite knowing the position of Tinubu, who also singlehandedly picked him as successor in 2007, bankrolled the campaign of Sasore.
A source told Ashiwaju.org: “Unfortunately for the governor, he doesn’t seem to have realised that even those who pledge loyalty to him are always reaching out to those they are genuinely loyal to when such privileged discussions take place on who to support or not.
“Even in a meeting where you have four or five people, you cannot bank totally on information passed round there not leaking out, especially when the person is a mole.
“The truth was that Fashola also gave a huge sum of money to Sasore.
“Or where do you think Sasore, who is not a known businessman, would have raised between N150 million and N200 million to fund his campaign.
“It was Fashola’s handiwork.”
The Tinubu camp was also said to have been inundated with the fact that Fashola threw financial support the way of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuforiji Adeyemi, for his failed governorship ambition.
A source in Tinubu’s camp told The Eagle Online: “Unfortunately for the governor, he never threw his weight behind any of the aspirants who had any fighting chance.
“He also did not have any say on who and who became a delegate for the primaries where the governorship candidate would emerge.”
It was learnt that Tinubu personally drew up the list of delegates to the primaries held at the Onikan Stadium on Thursday.
The primaries ended at about 6am, with Ambode emerging as the APC’s candidate.
It was gathered that when the primaries for the emergence of the delegates was first conducted, it was based on the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas structure operational in the state.
However, after warnings were raised over the possibility of both internal and external oppositions faulting the exercise and the Independent National Electoral Commission not recognising it, it was agreed that the delegates to the primaries should emerge from the 20 constitutionally recognised local government areas.
Ashiwaju.org was told that Tinubu personally compiled the list of delegates.
He was said to have “endorsed the list local government area by local government area”.
This was despite the fact that some of the big wigs of the APC, especially the other 11 governorship aspirants, used the opportunity to canvass for direct primaries.
This would have been each local government area bringing in its party executives, in the main, to choose the party’s flag bearer.
Tinubu, however, had his way by singlehandedly picking all the delegates apart from those who are constitutionally recognised as delegates and do not need to go through primaries to emerge.
However, before things got to this level, Tinubu was said to have been inundated with facts of Fashola’s support for Hamzat, Sasore and Ikuforiji.
In what many considered a last minute face saving move, Fashola, The Ashiwaju.org was told, a few days before the primaries, gave financial support to Ambode.
A source said what he made available to Ambode was in the region of N200 million.
This, it was learnt, has not changed the position of Tinubu that Fashola remains disloyal to him.
Added a source: “The statement issued by Tinubu blaming the media for coming up with stories concerning the frosty relationship with Fashola was just to hoodwink the public.
“The truth is that the two men are not at peace.”
The source hinted that none of Hamzat or Sasore could have had access to the kind of funding they had for their campaign without what was provided to support them by Fashola.
“Even at the venue of the primaries at the Onikan Stadium, these aspirants were still spending money heavily, hoping to change the minds of those who already had specific directives on who to vote for,” the source said, adding: “Those are not the kind of monies these men, especially Sasore, who is not a known businessman, could have raised on their own.
“And this was money in dollars”
On if the face-off would not have a negative impact on the chances of the APC in the general election, a source told Ashiwaju.org: “It would depend largely on the positions of those who are influential politicians within the party to be considered imposition of Ambode and the candidates the opposition, especially the Peoples Democratic Party, will present for the election.”
Meanwhile, none of the aspirants who lost in the primaries of the APC has made a public pronouncement on their next move.
The belief is that they will come up with their next lines of action beginning from this week.
Below is the full statement by Tinubu denying the frosty relationship with Fashola, titled: “My relationship with Fashola is intact:”
For a while now, I have noticed and read many published political stories on Lagos politics in particular and the personalities involved that are either concerted, unsubstantiated, pure conjectures or outright falsehood. In this instance, I reference a recent story ran by a major newspaper concerning my successor and me. There is no doubt political charlatans and enemies are at work fueling unnecessary rumour and insinuations and seeking to drive a wedge in an otherwise cordial and respectful political relationship. My relationship with Governor Fashola remains cordial both at the personal level and at the level of commitment to ensuring Lagos State remains on the path of political stability, growth and development.
Whether Governor Fashola had a specific candidate or not isn’t the issue here. What is important is to have a transparent process in the spirit of democracy to which we both subscribe. We often debate, agree or disagree. But when it comes to concluding on the interest of Lagos State, we are on the same page. The current situation and issues around the Lagos Gubernatorial primary are being overblown. What we have done is ensure that no one is denied his or her rights to participate and compete for any elective position. Such a disposition should not translate into anger and divisiveness of the party as it is being peddled. Conflicts and disagreements is part of every political process. The capacity to solve these conflicts in-house and not on the pages of newspaper is a tradition in Lagos.
We warn the people of Lagos state against speculative, self-serving stories aimed at destabilizing the party and its leadership. The media must be weary of accepting or publishing stories that seek to pursue a narrow political agenda. Rather, they should make their paper a platform for proper news dissemination and constructive analysis such that can help our country tackle the current security problem, create jobs.
While we appreciate, recognize and respect the right of every media house to publish any story, it is important not to be part of the feeding frenzy and not to mislead the unsuspecting public.
At my age and with my level of political experience, I am expected to seek for solutions, work for reconciliations and find a common ground where disagreements exist. That is what I have dedicated myself to in the larger interest of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. That is what Governor Babatunde Fashola and myself are about. That is what Lagos state deserves as Nigeria’s pacesetter in terms of democracy and development.
And this has mainly to do with the failure of Fashola to support Tinubu’s choice for the Lagos State governor’s seat in 2015, Akinwunmi Ambode.
It was learnt that it was only a few days before the governorship primaries of the APC, where Ambode emerged as the party’s candidate, that Fashola showed any form of support, especially financially, for Ambode’s ambition.
Highly placed sources within the APC revealed to Ashiwaju.org that Fashola had, when the news became public that the choice of Tinubu for the governorship was Ambode, told members of his caucus that he was going to work against his emergence.
This was more so when the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akinolu, made what many considered a public slip, by revealing at a public function that the decision had been finalised for Ambode to succeed Fashola.
The incumbent was said to have kicked against this position.
In fact, it was revealed that the first choice of Fashola for a successor was his Commissioner for Works, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.
Fashola was said to have been the major financier of Hamzat’s campaign.
A source said he gave “a huge sum to Hamzat”.
The source added: “It is the kind of money you give someone and you have to back it up with escorts for safety.”
As a Plan B, Fashola was also said to have propped up his Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General during the first four years in office between 2007 and 2011, Olasupo Sasore (SAN).
A source said Fashola, despite knowing the position of Tinubu, who also singlehandedly picked him as successor in 2007, bankrolled the campaign of Sasore.
A source told Ashiwaju.org: “Unfortunately for the governor, he doesn’t seem to have realised that even those who pledge loyalty to him are always reaching out to those they are genuinely loyal to when such privileged discussions take place on who to support or not.
“Even in a meeting where you have four or five people, you cannot bank totally on information passed round there not leaking out, especially when the person is a mole.
“The truth was that Fashola also gave a huge sum of money to Sasore.
“Or where do you think Sasore, who is not a known businessman, would have raised between N150 million and N200 million to fund his campaign.
“It was Fashola’s handiwork.”
The Tinubu camp was also said to have been inundated with the fact that Fashola threw financial support the way of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuforiji Adeyemi, for his failed governorship ambition.
A source in Tinubu’s camp told The Eagle Online: “Unfortunately for the governor, he never threw his weight behind any of the aspirants who had any fighting chance.
“He also did not have any say on who and who became a delegate for the primaries where the governorship candidate would emerge.”
It was learnt that Tinubu personally drew up the list of delegates to the primaries held at the Onikan Stadium on Thursday.
The primaries ended at about 6am, with Ambode emerging as the APC’s candidate.
It was gathered that when the primaries for the emergence of the delegates was first conducted, it was based on the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas structure operational in the state.
However, after warnings were raised over the possibility of both internal and external oppositions faulting the exercise and the Independent National Electoral Commission not recognising it, it was agreed that the delegates to the primaries should emerge from the 20 constitutionally recognised local government areas.
Ashiwaju.org was told that Tinubu personally compiled the list of delegates.
He was said to have “endorsed the list local government area by local government area”.
This was despite the fact that some of the big wigs of the APC, especially the other 11 governorship aspirants, used the opportunity to canvass for direct primaries.
This would have been each local government area bringing in its party executives, in the main, to choose the party’s flag bearer.
Tinubu, however, had his way by singlehandedly picking all the delegates apart from those who are constitutionally recognised as delegates and do not need to go through primaries to emerge.
However, before things got to this level, Tinubu was said to have been inundated with facts of Fashola’s support for Hamzat, Sasore and Ikuforiji.
In what many considered a last minute face saving move, Fashola, The Ashiwaju.org was told, a few days before the primaries, gave financial support to Ambode.
A source said what he made available to Ambode was in the region of N200 million.
This, it was learnt, has not changed the position of Tinubu that Fashola remains disloyal to him.
Added a source: “The statement issued by Tinubu blaming the media for coming up with stories concerning the frosty relationship with Fashola was just to hoodwink the public.
“The truth is that the two men are not at peace.”
The source hinted that none of Hamzat or Sasore could have had access to the kind of funding they had for their campaign without what was provided to support them by Fashola.
“Even at the venue of the primaries at the Onikan Stadium, these aspirants were still spending money heavily, hoping to change the minds of those who already had specific directives on who to vote for,” the source said, adding: “Those are not the kind of monies these men, especially Sasore, who is not a known businessman, could have raised on their own.
“And this was money in dollars”
On if the face-off would not have a negative impact on the chances of the APC in the general election, a source told Ashiwaju.org: “It would depend largely on the positions of those who are influential politicians within the party to be considered imposition of Ambode and the candidates the opposition, especially the Peoples Democratic Party, will present for the election.”
Meanwhile, none of the aspirants who lost in the primaries of the APC has made a public pronouncement on their next move.
The belief is that they will come up with their next lines of action beginning from this week.
Below is the full statement by Tinubu denying the frosty relationship with Fashola, titled: “My relationship with Fashola is intact:”
For a while now, I have noticed and read many published political stories on Lagos politics in particular and the personalities involved that are either concerted, unsubstantiated, pure conjectures or outright falsehood. In this instance, I reference a recent story ran by a major newspaper concerning my successor and me. There is no doubt political charlatans and enemies are at work fueling unnecessary rumour and insinuations and seeking to drive a wedge in an otherwise cordial and respectful political relationship. My relationship with Governor Fashola remains cordial both at the personal level and at the level of commitment to ensuring Lagos State remains on the path of political stability, growth and development.
Whether Governor Fashola had a specific candidate or not isn’t the issue here. What is important is to have a transparent process in the spirit of democracy to which we both subscribe. We often debate, agree or disagree. But when it comes to concluding on the interest of Lagos State, we are on the same page. The current situation and issues around the Lagos Gubernatorial primary are being overblown. What we have done is ensure that no one is denied his or her rights to participate and compete for any elective position. Such a disposition should not translate into anger and divisiveness of the party as it is being peddled. Conflicts and disagreements is part of every political process. The capacity to solve these conflicts in-house and not on the pages of newspaper is a tradition in Lagos.
We warn the people of Lagos state against speculative, self-serving stories aimed at destabilizing the party and its leadership. The media must be weary of accepting or publishing stories that seek to pursue a narrow political agenda. Rather, they should make their paper a platform for proper news dissemination and constructive analysis such that can help our country tackle the current security problem, create jobs.
While we appreciate, recognize and respect the right of every media house to publish any story, it is important not to be part of the feeding frenzy and not to mislead the unsuspecting public.
At my age and with my level of political experience, I am expected to seek for solutions, work for reconciliations and find a common ground where disagreements exist. That is what I have dedicated myself to in the larger interest of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. That is what Governor Babatunde Fashola and myself are about. That is what Lagos state deserves as Nigeria’s pacesetter in terms of democracy and development.
