Babatunde Fashola,highly regarded amongst the populace for transforming Lagos within his 8 years as governor,fell out with his godfather, Bola Tinubu, when they supported different candidates for the last Lagos State gubernatorial election. Bola Tinubu was behind the eventual winner Akinwunmi Ambode whilst Babatunde Fashola supported Barrister Supo Shasore (SAN) who lost at the primaries. One of the contestants for the governorship post of Lagos told Ashiwaju.org in confidence that “Tinubu is a very vindictive person. Fashola did not even make to the list of nominations that Tinubu sent to President for consideration. This disappointed Fashola so much that he swore to accept any appointment from this current administration. However,'' we have persuaded him to let bygones be bygones and I am happy to see that he was on the G7 team.”
Ashiwaju.org further gathered from a reliable source, who tipped us on Femi Adesina’s appointment as Spokesman a week prior, that Babatunde Fashola would occupy the position of the Secretary of the Government and Buhari would announce the Ministerial list next Monday. “The president is just waiting to receive the reports from the transition committee today and thereafter review over the weekend.Barring any major contrary information in the transition committee’s report, Buhari should make this list public as early as Monday that will shock everyone”. The sources said over the telephone.
Tinubu is expected to make inputs into the list but his choices might see him clash with Buhari. The same APC chieftain told Ashiwaju.org that he was aware that Buhari wants a good mix of politicians and private sector players as members of his cabinet. It would be recalled that President Buhari turned down the list Governors, when he retorted that “ I don’t appoint commissioners for the governors and so they cannot appoint my ministers.”
It is now very evident from President Buhari’s inaugural speech and his commentary on Senator Bukola Saraki’s recent emergence as Senate President, that all is not well between the man Tinubu and his ‘godfather’. In fact, Buhari seems to be poised to prove to the whole world that he is ’everybody’s man and nobody’s man’ as he continues to clipped Tinubu’s now broken wings.
President Buhari’s recent invitation to Fashola to accompany him to the G7 summit in Germany, continue to buttress watchers’ postulation that Fashola is indeed an anointed one. The chemistry between the two men whilst at the summit is a testament to the fact that they are both on the same mental ship.
In fact, political pundits are of the widespread opinion that Fashola only did not make it as Vice president because he and the President are of the same religion.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Leadership by Example League International (LELI), has requested for the suspension of the former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Senator Barnabas Gemade, over their opposition to the election of Senator Bukola Saraki.
In a statement by Dr. Batos Nwadike, Chancellor of the group, received by Ashiwaju.org, congratulating Saraki, LELI said it was hopeful that with the election of Saraki as Senate president and Senator Ike Ekweremadu as deputy Senate president, the upper legislative house was poised to give effective leadership to Nigerians through seamless legislations.
“The statement emanating from Tinubu and Gemade to the effect that they do not recognise the avowed election held transparently in the hallowed hall of the red chamber on Tuesday is embarrassing.It expressed worry over what it called ‘April fool in June’ allegedly given to the senators of APC extraction by Tinubu that “President Muhammadu Buhari was coming to address the Senate when there was a due letter of proclamation of the National Assembly.” The statement said.
Written by : Epa Stevens
epastevens11[at]gmail.com
