Tinubu, Ambode Reconcile

By Rasaq Adebayo

It was the climax of the party put together by the Nigerian governors forum at the State House, Marina, Lagos to honour President Bola Tinubu who was visiting Lagos for the first time after his inauguration into office.

Thanking his hosts for the honour, President Tinubu paused, looked in the direction of rhe seat of former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and thanked him for making time to attend the event.

His words: “I am glad to see  Ammbode, thank ypu, Akin, very good.”

The president’s statement was like a soothing balm for many associates and supporters of Ambode who had been in political  limbo since the tragic governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress in 2018.

Very confident that his four year  performance in office would earn him a second term, the former governor had put all hands on deck.

His resolve initially received booster from President Tinubu,  his mentor, then regq regarded as the National Leader of the party.

Like a storm from nowhere, a groundswell of opposition suddenly gathered momentum from the ranks of the party apparatchik who feared that the  governor had assumed too much political power due to the shift of Tinubu’s attention to ensuring the party, which had assumed power for the first time at the national level, fulfilled its promises to Nigerians.

A litany of allegations of running the adninistration without carrying along party leaders and introducing policies which hurt party stakeholders were used to persuade the national leader to withdraw his support from his hitherto favourite protege.

To add sauce to the tales, there were stories of an imminent plot to overthrow the dominant leadership caucus over which the natiknal leader presided over and instal a new ruling organ that would reverse the legacies of the Tinubu tendency.

Overwhelmed by the resolve of his associates and footsoldiers, the national leader voted for the views of the majority of his advisers and opted for Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu.

For Ambode, whose pioneer foray into politics hit the governorship, the biggest prize of all, the sudden turn of events was a trauma too shocking to bear. The long

knives of betrayal by erstwhile allies and confidants was too much to bear. They had cut his flesh without a drop of blood.

In response, a man who was naturally reticent and taciturn returned to his favourite inner self, wondering what sort of human  species politicians were.

As the successor took office and began running the new administration, the principle of continuity that has guided governance from the Tinubu administratiin to Babatunde Raji Fashola’s government prevaiked.

Governor Sanwo-olu promissed and fulfilled the pledge to complete on-going projects of his predecessor such as the Agege Pen Cinema bridge, the Oshodi-Abule-Egba Bus Rapid Transport route, the Yoruba Centre and Onikan stadium and housing projects in Igando and Sangotedo.

The immediate past Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, following the ousting of Ambode, his former boss, said the main drawback of the departed Akinwunmi Ambode administration was the government’s inability to apply enough emotional intelligence in its dealings.

Bello, who served under Ambode as Secretary to the State Government noted that faced challenges with the top members of the party.

In a message titled ‘Time to say goodbye to colleagues on this platform,’ Bello provided an insight into the perception of Ambode’s administration by top members of his cabinet.

The message, which was shared among

his colleagues on an “internal platform” read: “The exit bell has sounded and it is time to say goodbye to colleagues. We must seriously thank our Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for bringing all of us together in the last four years.

“We must praise him for the successful strides in bringing Lagos to the present level. All the accomplishments and success stories of this administration should go to him.

“We should be happy too because we are directly or indirectly part of that success story being his lieutenants.

“We should be happy for the opportunity provided and experience gained. It is not what you can buy on the shelf even if you have all the money. We should also be happy and thankful to God for seeing us to the end.”

Although he kept a dignified distance from.politicians in the state, Ambode co-operated with the party at the national level. He was appointed to chair the south west youth campaign committee.

Ambode was sworn in as the elected governor of Lagos State on May 29, 2015.

However, unlike his two predecessors, he was unable to get the nod of his party, the All Progressives Congress, to contest for a second four-year tenure.

Part of the reasons for Ambode’s rejection by the party was his alleged propensity to run a ‘one-man show’.

Meanwhile, since he was ousted in 2019, Ambode has been hibernating, leaving the political scene for four years before his successor, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently made a move to bring him (Ambode) back into the circle.

But how did Sanwo-Olu go about it? He used the 60th birthday occasion of his predecessor, Ambode to make a reconciliation move.

The reconciliation process started when the incumbent governor visited the former during his 60th birthday recently.

Sanwo-Olu said Ambode dedicated his time to the service of Lagos State as a governor and civil servant.

In furtherance of the reconciliation process, Tinubu, Fashola, and Ambode were together recently at the welcome-back party organised by the state governor in honour of the president.

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned from London to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir in Lagos before resuming his office in Abuja, Sanwo-Olu took Ambode to the President for reconciliation and reintegration of his successor into the political circle.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his predecessors, Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode met at the Lagos House, Marina for the first time in over four years at a reception organised by Governor Sanwo-Olu in honour of President Bola Tinubu, who was in Lagos for Sallah celebration.

Though Ambode was silent during the presidential campaigns for Tnubu’s election, there are opinions that he may be re-absorbed and given political post in Tinubu’s administration.

This was possible for Sanwo-Olu for his role during the presidential campaign. He had met some presidential aspirants under the APC platform including Sen. Ibikunle Amosun to step down for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which he eventually achieved.

Amosun and other presidential aspirants from the South including the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and former speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, stepped down for Tinubu at the APC convention held in Abuja.

Stakeholders have lauded Sanwo-Olu for his role in reconciling Tinubu and Ambode, saying it is a gesture to drive development within the party and Lagos State.

According to them, there is a need for such a move to place the party in its vantage and settle all internal crises, especially in Lagos State.

They said the party leaders in the state also need to reconcile all aggrieved party members in local government areas across the state.