Tinubu, Fashola Clash Over APC Guber Primaries In Lagos

Latest report indicates that the National Leader of the
All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and
incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde
Fashola are not in good terms.
According to Punch newspaper report online, Tinubu
was said to be angry with the Lagos State Governor
as a result of the latter’s conduct before and during the
just concluded APC governorship primary in the state.
It was disclosed that Tinubu became angry when
Fashola initially told him that he did not have a
particular candidate for the APC primary only to
emerge much later with a former Attorney-General
and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Olasupo
Shahore, as his preferred candidate.

Reports indicate Akinwunmi Ambode, who polled
3,735 votes to emerge the party’s candidate for the
February 2015 election , was Tinubu’s favourite.

Other aspirants who contested for the APC ticket are
Sasore; Speaker of the state House of Assembly,
Adeyemi Ikuforiji; a former Commissioner for Health,
Dr. Leke Pitan; an incumbent Commissioner for
Works, Obafemi Hamzat; a former aide to Tinubu,
Tayo Ayinde; Adekunle Disu, Mr. Wahab Tokunbo,
Olanrewaju Ope and a former Commissioner for
Rural Affairs, Mr. Tola Kasali.

A source close to Tinubu informed that the APC
chieftain was not only angry with Fashola, but was
“disappointed in him.”
He stated that the Fashola had a right to have a
candidate but what Tinubu wanted was to know his
mind.
“But Fashola kept Tinubu guessing. He told him he
did not have a candidate. Though there were signs
and media reports that he was backing someone, but
Tinubu could not be relying on media reports about
the governor in a situation like this.
“In fact, Asiwaju told him that he had a candidate and
sought the governor’s support for him. The governor
said he had no candidate only for him to emerge with
a candidate in the last minute. Asiwaju did not know
where the governor stood.
“I believe with the outcome of the primary, the
governor will have enough time to reflect,” the source
said.

In a related development, reports say that there is a
crack in the wall of the camp of disgruntled
governorship aspirants as their voices were no longer
united on their next action.
It was learnt that some of the defeated aspirants were
already working on how to get themselves back into
Tinubu’s good books.
The aspirants had earlier scheduled a press conference
in Lagos on Thursday night immediately after the end of
voting at the primary but the press conference was
called off and rescheduled for Friday.
The conference was to hold at Protea Hotel, Lagos.
But the meeting was called off again as none of the
aspirants showed up as journalists waited for hours in
vain on Friday.
But party sources said many of the aspirants had begun
to court Tinubu afresh following their defeat at the
primary.
One of the sources said, “There is nothing like
association of aspirants. Now that a candidate has
emerged, everybody is trying to realign. The primary
has succeeded in separating the boys from the men.
“One of the governorship aspirants, Obafemi Hamzat,
has to separate himself from the boys because he
cannot be seen to be championing the cause of the
boys,” the source said.