A leader of the All Progressives Congress,
Bola Tinubu, has distanced himself from the
recent ordeal of the former governor of
Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola.
In a statement Wednesday, Mr. Tinubu said
he is not behind the latest “rancid attacks”
on Mr. Fashola.
“An attack against the performance of
Governor Fashola is indirectly an attack
against me and the edifice of achievement
we have constructed in leading Lagos state
out of a protracted time of stagnation and
into an era of sustained progress and
development,” said Mr. Tinubu.
It was the first time Mr. Tinubu would speak
out over claims that he was sponsoring
individuals and groups to sustain media
attacks against his successor.
Mr. Fashola, who governed Lagos State
between 2007 and 2011, had been the
subject of a media blitz after details of
contracts he awarded during his
administration was made public earlier this
month.
Two weeks ago, the Civil Society Network
Against Corruption, a coalition of anti-
corruption organizations, petitioned the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
over the “questionable expenditures” of Mr.
Fashola,
The group urged the EFCC to probe a
controversial N78 million spent on the
upgrade of Mr. Fashola’s website.
The group’s petition came after a public
outrage that greeted the revelation by
analytic firm, BudgIT, that Mr. Fashola
approved numerous “inflated contracts”
before he left office in May 29 this year.
In an addition to the sum awarded for a
website upgrade, Mr. Fashola also approved
N1.2 billion for the construction of
pedestrian bridges along the Eti Osa – Lekki
– Epe expressway – the contract did not
specify the number of bridges or their
locations.
The former governor also spent N25 billion
on the 1.36 kilometre Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge,
N330 million for the renovation of the
immediate past deputy governor’s
residence, and N3.4 billion for the
renovation of a beach resort at Ilase.
Mr. Fashola himself had offered what many
consider as an unconvincing response to all
the allegations against him.
But in his statement on Wednesday, Mr.
Tinubu accused opposition elements of a
deliberate attempt to sow discord in the
APC by peddling falsehood.
“I for one will not bend to the artificial
provocation of those seeking to tear at what
we have painstakingly built over the years,”
said Mr. Tinubu, who was also a governor
in the state, between 1999 and 2007.
“In my mind, Governor Fashola and I are
and shall always be political allies and fellow
travelers on a vital journey; that alliance is
unshakable and our journey must not be
interrupted. I would no more attack his
character or his administration than I would
attack myself.”
Last week, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode
approved the termination of a concession
agreement between the Lagos State
Development and Property Corporation and
Afriland Properties for the re-development
of the Falomo Shopping Complex, Ikoyi.
According to the governor, the concession,
which he put at N50 million over a 50-year
period, is “grossly detrimental” to the
people of Lagos State.
That move by the governor, coupled with
the decision of his administration to publish
the details of the contracts awarded by Mr.
Fashola on the state’s procurement agency
website, fueled speculations that Mr.
Ambode was carrying out the bidding of
his godfather.
Just as he selected Mr. Fashola to succeed
him in 2007, Mr. Tinubu also handpicked
Mr. Ambode to take over from Mr. Fashola.
”I am proud to say that I played an
instrumental role in bringing Governor
Fashola into politics in the first instance,” Mr.
Tinubu continued.
“He served as my trusted chief of staff,
performing excellently in that role. Due to
his leadership qualities and diligent work
ethic, I endorsed him for governor
notwithstanding the stiff and vocal
opposition of many. I am not ashamed of
backing him. I believe the progress the state
made under his administration has more
than vindicated my endorsement.
“Fashola, the present Governor Akin
Ambode including myself are the products
of a progressive political institution and its
programmatic expressions. I laid the
governance foundation and started the first
lap, running as well as I could.
“I handed the baton to Fashola, knowing he
would do the same. He did; he ran as well
as he could. Now, he has handed to
Ambode who is off and running as well as
he can. We have achieved much in Lagos;
but, we recognize as much as anyone that
we have much more to do.
“We also know that progress is fragile and
easily undone while destruction is easily
transacted but hard to undo. I for one am
not the type to tear down my own house
or to bring my enemy’s rubbish into it.”
Mr. Tinubu said the APC had governed
Lagos State as an open forum where
democracy and free expression were
respected.
“Those who are against us were never
placed in fear of the heavy hand of
government descending on them even as
they played funny tricks,” he said.
“We also must remember than in any
democracy, a number of people will always
oppose you no matter the quality of your
performance. If an office holder has an
approval rating of 70 percent, this means,
in Lagos, roughly five million people dislike
the person. Also remember the PDP is just
recently out of office at the federal level and
that it built a vast, unprecedented financial
war chest to contest the elections.
“The residual of that war chest is still at
work, buying media space to plant rumors
in hopes of spreading discord through the
APC. Thus, the enemy camp may be a
minority but it is a large and well-funded
one that knows its only chance lies in us
attacking ourselves.”
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